At least 12 people were killed when a small plane crashed into the Caribbean Sea shortly after departing from the Honduran island of Roatan on Monday night. The aircraft, a Jetstream operated by Lanhsa airline, was en route to the mainland when it plunged into the water just 0.6 miles off the island’s coast.
The plane was carrying 14 passengers and three crew members, according to the Honduran Minister of Transport. Civil aviation officials reported that the crash was caused by an apparent mechanical failure, which led the plane to spiral into the sea. Carlos Padilla, a civil aviation official, described the incident, stating that the plane made a sharp right turn after taking off before falling into the water.
A local fisherman, who was in the vicinity, narrowly escaped the crash and told HCH television that the plane nearly hit him while he was fishing. “The plane almost fell on us,” he said.
Among the fatalities was Aurelio Martinez, a renowned Honduran musician and politician. Martinez was celebrated for his contributions to Garifuna music, an Afro-indigenous genre from the Caribbean. He was a prominent member of the Garifuna band Lita Ariran, which was one of the first Garifuna groups to appear on an internationally distributed recording. Martinez later transitioned into politics, becoming a representative in the Honduran National Congress.
Authorities confirmed the recovery of the body of at least one crew member, and dramatic footage showed rescue workers struggling to access the wreckage. As of Monday night, only one body remained to be recovered. Roatan Fire Captain Franklin Borjas noted that the site was difficult to reach due to rocky terrain, and rescue divers faced near-zero visibility underwater.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro responded to the tragedy by activating an Emergency Operations Committee to coordinate rescue and recovery efforts. The flight manifest indicated that the passengers included a US national, a French national, and two minors. The US Department of State has been contacted for further information on the American passenger.
One of the survivors, a 40-year-old French citizen, was reportedly injured and transferred to a hospital in San Pedro Sula on the mainland.
Roatan, known for its stunning coral reefs, is the largest of the Bay Islands, attracting many tourists from around the world.
