At least 12 people have been killed after a small plane reportedly carrying at least one US citizen plunged into the Caribbean Sea.
The fatal crash took place minutes after the mainland-bound Jetstream aircraft took off from the Honduran island of Roatan on Monday night.
The Lanhsa airline flight was carrying 14 passengers and three crew members, according to the country’s transport minister, who said the wreckage was found about 0.6 miles off the island’s coast.
A dozen people were killed and five more were rescued after an ‘apparent mechanical failure’ sent the plane spiraling into the sea, CBS reports.
Civil aviation official Carlos Padilla described how the aircraft took off and ‘made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water’.
A fisherman below told HCH television he narrowly avoided being struck.
‘The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing,’ he explained.
Among those killed was popular Honduran musician and politician Aurelio Martinez, local media reports.
Martinez, 56, was a renowned figure in the Garifuna music scene. The Garifuna are an Afro-indigenous people from St Vincent, who were exiled to Honduras in the 18th century.
His group Lita Ariran was, ‘one of the first Garifuna groups to appear on an internationally distributed recording,’ according to the Kennedy Center.
He later went into politics and was selected as a representative to the Honduran National Congress.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Belize was among those to pay tribute.
‘Aurelio was a great friend of Belize and a true champion of Garífuna culture and music,’ the statement read.
‘As a renowned Garífuna musician, Aurelio was a powerful voice in preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Garinagu people.
‘His passing leaves a void in the world of music and culture, but his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who loved his art and his people.’
Honduran police confirmed that the body of at least one crew member had been recovered.
Dramatic footage showed rescue workers frantically searching in the water. One video, described as a ‘rescue’ by officials, showed a woman being stretchered out of the sea.
However, an update on her condition has not been shared.
As of Monday night, officials said there was only one body left to recover.
‘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.’
The passengers included a US national, a French national and two minors, according to the flight manifest shown by local media.
DailyMail.com has contacted the US Department of State for further details.
CBS reports that the 40-year-old French citizen was among the injured who was transferred to a hospital in the city of San Pedro Sula on the mainland.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro put out a statement shortly after the news broke saying she has ‘immediately activated’ an Emergency Operations Committee comprised of several agencies.
Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands just off the Honduran coast, is a popular tourist attraction and famed for its vibrant coral reefs.