A jet crashed off the coast of Honduras, a country in Central America, killing at least 12 passengers.
According to the BBC, the Honduran airline Lanhsa’s Jetstream 32 plane fell into the ocean just one minute after taking off from the island of Roatán.
Five individuals had been rescued, according to independent statements made by the local police and fire service after the disaster, while one person was still missing.
At least 12 people are believed to have died in the crash, though the cause remains unclear. Roatán’s mayor told local media that bad weather was not a factor. The Honduran Civil Aeronautics Agency has launched an investigation.
The aircraft took off from Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport on Monday, March 17, at 6:18 p.m. local time, bound for Golosón International Airport in La Ceiba. Carlos Padilla, a civil aviation official, told CBS News that the plane “made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water.”
The Honduran government expressed condolences on social media, stating: “The Government of Honduras deeply regrets the tragic accident in Roatán.” President Xiomara Castro activated the emergency committee, deploying rescue teams to the crash site one kilometer from the airport.
Footage shared by authorities shows rescuers pulling a survivor from the water, while other videos depict emergency crews working along the coast in the dark.
Officials report 15 passengers, two pilots, and one flight attendant were aboard. Police cited an “apparent mechanical failure” as the cause. Injured victims were transported to a hospital in San Pedro Sula.
