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UPDATE 9:35 PM ET | Jenni Rivera's father and brother confirmed on Telemundo that the Mexican-American singer died in a plane crash on Saturday night, according to NBC News.
This story is developing. Our earlier report is below:
Mexico's Secretary of Communications and Transportation, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, has confirmed that officials found the remains of an airplane that was carrying singer Jenni Rivera from Monterrey to Toluca, Mexico.
No official word has been given on the singer's remains, but Ruiz Esparza said there was no evidence of survivors. Rivera was traveling on a private plane following a concert at Arena Monterrey on Dec. 8. She was traveling with her were her publicist, Arturo Rivera, her stylist Jorge Sanchez, her makeup artist Jacobo Llenares, her attorney Mario Macias, along with the plane's pilots.
Authorities had been looking for the plane since 4:40 a.m. Mexico time, since it lost contact with the airport a few minutes after departing. The plane was found in a ranch in Iturbide in the state of Nuevo León, close to Monterrey.
Rivera was currently a coach on "The Voice Mexico." Tonight's show, the semi-final, has been postponed and instead, network Televisa is airing a special on the singer.
Mexico's Civil Aeronautics authority (DGAC) confirmed on its website this afternoon that it has "initiated investigations about the alleged fall of a plane owned by Starwood Management with tags N345MC, which took place this morning in the state of Nueva León."
According to the report, the LearJet left Monterrey at 3:15 am and lost contact with the radar 61.8 miles from Monterrey. Search parties were sent out at 4:40 a.m. local time, with the help of two helicopters and a plane.
The plane was en route from Monterrey to Toluca. Rivera performed a concert at Arena Monterrey last night. Rivera, an avid user of Twitter, last sent out tweets at approximately 5 am ET.
The singer, one of the most successful female performers on Latin charts today, is signed to Fonovisa/UMLE and is also the star of her own reality television show, "I Love Jenni," on cable network mun2. She recently signed a deal with ABC to star in her own comedy series, titled "Jenni."
When I first heard the reports earlier I thought the cartels had kidnapped her.
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