Plane crash in the Caribbean kills at least 12 people, including beloved musician Aurelio Martinez
A prominent Honduran musician turned trailblazing politician was among 12 people killed when a small plane crashed in the Caribbean nation on Monday night.
Aurelio Martinez, a popular member of the Honduran Garifuna scene in the 1990s who became his nation’s first black congressman, was among those killed when the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from the Honduran island of Roatan, heading for the port of La Ceiba on the mainland, on Monday night.
The plane, a British-made Jetstream 41, suffered an “apparent mechanical failure” and came down just half a mile from the island’s coast, according to a statement from police.
It “made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water,” civil aviation official Carlos Padilla said.
“The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing,” fisherman Aldair Aleman told the Honduran news outlet El Heraldo.
“We set out to the crash site. When we got closer, we saw the dead bodies first,” Aleman said. “When we got even closer to the plane, we heard people calling for help, to be rescued.
“We chose to rescue the ones who were still alive,” he added. “Even though we found the dead ones first and the dead were a priority, those with a chance to survive were a higher priority.”
Aerolinea Lanhsa Flight 018 had 15 passengers, two pilots and a flight attendant on board, according to police.
Authorities said the two pilots were among those killed, as was a French woman described as Martinez’ companion.
The final body was recovered shortly after 10 a.m.
Emergency crews were seen carrying a survivor on a stretcher onto the rocky shore in a dramatic video posted on social media by the national police, as the fire department rescued five people.
One body is still missing following the crash, police said, as they shared another video from the scene.
Tributes were paid to Aurelio Martinez, 55, who has been described as one of Central America’s most gifted performers.
From 2006 to 2010, Martinez served as a congressman in Honduras, the first black member of Congress.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya said she had “immediately activated” rescuers as well as the Red Cross.
“May God protect people’s lives,” she said.
