At least 12 people were killed in a plane crash near the coast of a Caribbean island, including a famous Honduran musician who later made history as a pioneering politician. The aircraft, which was heading to the mainland, crashed just minutes after taking off from the Honduran island of Roatan on Monday night.
Aurelio Martinez, a one of the most popular figures in the Honduran Garifuna music scene during the 1990s and the country's first Black congressman, was among those killed when the aircraft went down shortly after departing from the island of Roatan. The flight was on its way to the mainland port of La Ceiba on Monday night.
Tragic Crash
Authorities reported that the British-manufactured Jetstream 41 suffered an "apparent mechanical failure" and crashed around half a mile off the island's coast, according to a police statement.
The Jetstream aircraft, operated by Honduran airline Lanhsa, had 14 passengers and three crew members on board, according to the country's transport minister. CBS reported that twelve people were killed, while five others were rescued after the plane plunged into the sea.
Civil aviation official Carlos Padilla explained that the aircraft took off, suddenly veered sharply to the right of the runway, and crashed into the water.
A fisherman below recounted to HCH television that he narrowly escaped being hit. "The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing," he explained.
Martinez was a prominent figure in the Garifuna music scene, representing the Afro-Indigenous community from St. Vincent who were exiled to Honduras in the 18th century. His band, Lita Ariran, was "one of the first Garifuna groups to be featured on an internationally released recording," according to the Kennedy Center.
Death of a Star
Martinez later ventured into politics and was elected as a representative in the Honduran National Congress. Honduran police confirmed that at least one crew member's body had been recovered.
Dramatic footage captured rescue workers urgently searching in the water. As of Monday night, officials reported that only one body remained to be retrieved.
"It's been difficult to access the accident (site) because there are 30 meters (98 ft) of rocks and you can't get there while walking or swimming," Roatan Fire captain Franklin Borjas explained.
"The divers helping with the rescue have zero visibility."
Honduran President Xiomara Castro issued a statement soon after the news emerged, announcing that she had "immediately activated" an Emergency Operations Committee made up of multiple agencies.
According to CBS, one of the injured survivors was a 40-year-old French national who was transported to a hospital in San Pedro Sula on the mainland.
Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras, is a well-known tourist destination famous for its vibrant coral reefs.
