Courtney Sargent
At least 12 individuals, including a notable figure from the Garifuna music community, have lost their lives following a small aircraft crash into the ocean during takeoff from a Caribbean island near Honduras, according to officials.
The Lanhsa airlines flight departed from Roatán, a key tourist destination in the Central American nation, shortly after sunset on Monday, en route to the port city of La Ceiba on the mainland.
Civil aviation official Carlos Padilla reported that the aircraft “executed a sharp right turn off the runway and subsequently plunged into the water.”
A fisherman recounted to HCH television, “The plane nearly landed on us while I was fishing.”The fire department confirmed that 12 individuals perished in the incident, while five were rescued and one remains unaccounted for.
Local media identified the deceased as Honduran musician Aurelio Martínez, who served as the country’s first Black congressman from 2006 to 2010. He was known for his extensive discography and was hailed by the Guardian in 2017 as “the finest living exponent of the lilting, soulful music of the Garifuna people.”
Dramatic footage shared on social media by the national police depicted officers and rescue personnel transporting survivors to a rocky shore, some on stretchers, as a nearby vessel illuminated the scene with a bright light amidst the darkness.
Among the injured was a 40-year-old French national, who is set to be transferred to a hospital in San Pedro Sula on the mainland, as stated by Maj Wilmer Guerrero of the fire department.
The aircraft was carrying 15 passengers, in addition to two pilots and a flight attendant, according to police reports. The crash, which occurred approximately one kilometer from the shore, was attributed to an “apparent mechanical failure” of the British-made Jetstream 41, the statement indicated.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that she had “immediately activated” an emergency committee comprising armed forces, firefighters, and other personnel to aid the victims of the tragedy.
