The World : Italian Airliner Crashes

An Italian airliner carrying 37 people on a flight from Milan to West Germany crashed in the foothills of the Italian Alps during a severe storm, authorities said. There was no word on survivors. Driving rain, heavy fog and rough terrain hampered rescuers’ efforts to reach the wreckage of the twin-engine ATR 42 turboprop plane. Police in Como said the plane was believed to have gone down near Barni, on the west side of Lake Lecco 2,200 feet above sea level and about 40 miles north of Milan. Flight 460 of the state-run Alitalia subsidiary ATI was carrying 34 passengers and three crew members, an airline spokesman said. The Italian news agency ANSA said most of those aboard are believed to be German or Austrian.