Honduras aircraft crash: at least 12 killed, including folk musician Aurelio Martinez

At least 12 people lost their lives on Monday, when a small plane crashed into the sea as it took off from a Caribbean island off Honduras, officials said.

The Lanhsa Airlines aircraft removed from Roatan, an important tourist destination in the central American country, heading for the continent. The accident happened at the fall of the night.

According to civil aviation official, Carlos Padilla, the aircraft “made a sharp return to the right of the track and fell into the water.”

A fisherman, whose name was not given, told Hch Television: “The plane almost fell on us. I fished.”

Rescue and victims

The fire department confirmed that 12 people were killed in the accident. Five five were saved while a person is still missing.

Among the victims was the musician Honduran Aurelio Martinez, a known figure in the Garifuna music scene, reported the local media. One of the injured passengers was a 40 -year -old French citizen, who will be transferred to a hospital in San Pedro Sula, according to the major Wilmer Guerrero from the Fire Department.

The cause of the accident

The plane, a British 41 -made jetream, had 15 passengers, two pilots and a flight attendant on board, the police said.

The authorities believe that the accident, which took place about one kilometer of coast, was caused by an “apparent mechanical failure”.

Government response

The president of the Honduran, Xiomara Castro, said he had “immediately activated” an emergency commission, including armed forces and firefighters, to help victims and to respond to the crisis.

AFP inputs