Saturday, April 20, 2024

A Hamilton area man is missing after a plane crash in the Dominican

First Published:

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Another small plane has crashed and this time a man working with a Hamilton humanitarian organization was on board. Hamilton’s Live Different organization says 36-year-old Benjamin Cole Brown, born and raised near Hamilton, is now missing along with two American humanitarian aide-workers.

Brown had been in Haiti to deliver donations and other aid to help local residents rebuild from a recent hurricane.The plane went down off the north cost of the Dominican Republic. Brown, along with Chuck and Candy Ritzen, were flying in a private plane back from delivering those supplies, when the plane hit an electrical storm and heavy rain off the coast of Puerto Plata.

The plane lost contact with the Dominican airport sometime around 7 pm Monday night. It was about six kilometres away from its destination. A statement issued from the Dominican civil aviation authority confirmed its air force found wreckage from the plane but they have not located any of the passengers.

Cole, as he’s known to family and friends, was born and raised in York, Ontario. He’s been living in the Dominican Republic, working for Live Different for more than a decade. Brown has taken a leadership role in the organization, becoming the manager of operations in the Dominican, where he’s been overseeing hundreds of building projects for families in need. A spokesperson for Live Different says it’s providing as much support to Brown’s family as possible during this difficult time.

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