At least twelve people were killed in a plane crash on Monday night 17 March which saw the aircraft plunging into the Caribbean Sea.
The flight was from a Honduran island
The plane had taken off from the Honduran island of Roatan and was headed for the port of La Ceiba on the Honduran mainland on Monday night when it plunged into the Caribbean Sea minutes after takeoff.
According to the country’s transport minister, there were 14 passengers and three crew members aboard the Lanhsa airline flight.
The wreckage was found off the coast
The transport minister also said that the plane wreckage was found around 0.6 miles off the Honduran island’s coast.
Civil aviation official Carlos Padilla said that the plane “made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water,” according to CBS News.
Twelve people died in the crash
Among the 17 passengers on the plane, twelve had been killed in the incident while five have been rescued and hospitalized.
A fisherman below told HCH television that he had narrowly dodged the aircraft, saying, “The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing.”
A video showed rescue workers carrying a survivor
One video posted to social media showed rescue workers as they pulled a survivor out of the water on a stretcher onto the shore.
In speaking with Reuters, Roatan fire captain Franklin Borjas said that the search and rescue operation was made difficult by the rough terrain.
The site made it difficult to find people
“It’s been difficult to access the accident [site] because there are 30 meters of rocks and you can’t get there while walking or swimming. The divers helping with the rescue have zero visibility,” Borjas said.
A musician and politician was among those who died
Among those who died in the crash was musician and politician Aurelio Martínez who was a former member of the Honduran National Congress and a member of the Garifuna ethnic group.
Martínez, who also holds a U.S. citizenship, was a renowned figure in the Garifuna music scene. According to the Kennedy Center, his group Lita Ariran was “one of the first Garifuna groups to appear on an internationally distributed recording.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs paid him tribute
“Aurelio was a great friend of Belize and a true champion of Garífuna culture and music,” a statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs read.
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“As a renowned Garífuna musician, Aurelio was a powerful voice in preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Garinagu people. His passing leaves a void in the world of music and culture, but his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who loved his art and his people.”
Harrowing footage was shown of the rescue operation
Harrowing footage of the search and rescue operation has been shared on social media since the crash with videos showing rescue workers carrying people out of the water in the dark.
Shortly after the crash, Honduran President Xiomara Castro put out a statement saying she had “immediately activated” an Emergency Operations Committee for search and rescue.
