A small Jetstream aircraft crashed into the Caribbean Sea shortly after takeoff, killing at least 12 people. The plane, carrying 14 passengers and 3 crew members, departed the Honduran island of Roatan on Monday night. The local authorities reported the fatalities and shared that 5 individuals were rescued.
The investigation has led officials to determine that the cause of the plane crash was an apparent mechanical failure that caused the aircraft to spiral out of control. The authorities said the plane crashed approximately 0.6 miles off the coast minutes after takeoff.
Civil aviation official Carlos Padilla said that after takeoff, the aircraft abruptly veered to the right before it suddenly plummeted into the water. A fisherman at sea narrowly escaped a potentially fatal collision when the plane went down. “The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing,” he told HCH television.
Prominent Honduran musician Aurelio Martinez was on the flight, and his body was found among the deceased. The 56-year-old is renowned for his contributions to the Garifuna music scene. Martinez’s group, Lita Ariran, was among the first ensembles to gain international recognition, according to reports. Martinez is also a political figure, as he transitioned into politics later in his career, serving as a representative in the Honduran National Congress.
According to reports, other passengers included a U.S. national, two minors, and a 40-year-old French citizen. The French national was injured and transported to a hospital in San Pedro Sula on the mainland. At least one crew member was found among the deceased, Honduran police reported, according to the Daily Mail.
The authorities still had one body left to retrieve from the wreckage up to Monday night. Roatan Fire Captain Franklin Borjas noted that the officials experienced difficulties at the crash site because it was surrounded by 30 metres of rocky terrain. This made it challenging to navigate, and the divers had zero underwater visibility, according to Borjas.
Following the tragedy, Honduran President Xiomara Castro swiftly activated an Emergency Operations Committee consisting of several government agencies.