The crash of a small plane into the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Roatán Island, Honduras, killed at least twelve people, including U.S. citizens, in a horrible accident that is grief stricken families in most major nations. It happened moments after takeoff, when the plane made a sharp right turn and then dived into the water. Before crashing, the plane abruptly contorted, so much so that it also stunned witnesses nearby from Honduran civil aviation official Carlos Padilla.
Pictured above, one local fisherman who witnessed the crash said an aircraft came down so low during the crash it was only 20 centimeters away from him before crashing into the sea. Straight away rescue efforts were launched, but due to the extraordinary measures needed to rescue people from such a mess the wreckage became a real problem for responders to reach.
Roatán Fire captain Franklin Borjas said the crash site was in a perilous place with about 30 meters (about 98 feet) of jagged rocks. “I said you can’t walk or swim there,” he said to reporters. “There are zero visibility on the divers that are helping with the rescue.” The poor underwater conditions have really hampered search. And the terrain has been difficult.
Upon the crash Honduran President, Xiomara Castro quickly activated an Emergency Committee to oversee a co-ordinated strategy in dealing with the aftermath. The Honduran Transport Ministry said the plane, with 14 people aboard, including crew members. Two survivors are reported out of those, with the rest of the passengers confirmed deceased.
The list of victims included Honduran musician and politician Aurelio Martínez, a hugely popular figure in the country’s Garífuna community, an Afro-Indigenous population whose roots extend to St Vincent. Internationally, Martínez was known for his work to protect and preserve Garífuna music and culture.
Tributes to his death have come from across the Caribbean to Central America. Martínez was honored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize in a statement, which stated that he was “a great friend of Belize and a true champion of Garifuna culture and music. “He’ll leave a hole in music and the world of culture, but his career and his people will last in the hearts of everyone who loved his art,” they continued.
According to early reports after the crash, it appears that a mechanical failure may have precipitated the crash. We give our condolences to the victim’s family, and at least one American citizen was among the dead, the State Department in Washington said. In addition, they said they are providing help to the relatives and cooperating with Honduran authorities as part of the investigation.
With this being one of the most serious aviation disasters in recent years in the region, this incident has sent shock waves to the local communities as well as to the region’s international diplomatic circles. In the Caribbean, Roatán is a popular tourist destination and the number of visitors and charter flight traffic has increased, which has led to safety being increasingly important in the area.