Tragic Plane Crash Claims Lives of 12, Including Renowned Musician, Near Honduran Island
At least a dozen people, among them a famed musician, lost their lives on Monday when a small aircraft plunged into the Caribbean Sea shortly after departing from Roatan, a Honduran island, authorities confirmed. The Lanhsa Airlines plane had set off at dusk from Roatan, a key tourist hub in Central America, en route to La Ceiba, a mainland port city in Honduras.
“The aircraft veered sharply to the right upon liftoff and crashed into the water,” noted Carlos Padilla, a civil aviation official.
“The airplane nearly collided with us. I was out fishing,” a fisherman, who chose to remain anonymous, recounted to HCH television.
The plane had 17 people onboard, consisting of passengers and crew members, of which five were successfully rescued and taken to the hospital.
Dramatic footage shared on social media by national police captured the moment rescue personnel transported a survivor on a stretcher across the rocky shore. Another video depicted a similar scene, with authorities indicating that only one body remained unaccounted for as the search and recovery operations continued.
According to Franklin Borjas, the fire captain of Roatan, the survivors were transferred to a nearby hospital, although he didn’t specify their condition. Borjas explained to Reuters that accessing the crash site proved challenging due to the difficult terrain.
“Reaching the crash site is arduous, with 30 meters of rocky terrain making it impossible to approach on foot or by swimming,” Borjas told Reuters. “The divers involved in the rescue face complete lack of visibility.”
Among the deceased was Aurelio Martínez, who previously served as a congressman and was a prominent member of the Garifuna ethnic group, which has African and Indigenous ancestry. Martínez also held citizenship in the United States. Among the survivors was his representative, Helene Odile Guivarch, a French national.
Originally from the Gracias a Dios region along the Caribbean coast of Honduras, Martínez was a significant figure in his community.
“It’s a devastating loss for us,” expressed his nephew, Ángel Aparicio Fernández Martínez, also a musician who collaborated with his uncle. “He was the cornerstone of our family.”
Martínez first gained prominence with Los Gatos Bravos before forming Lita Ariran. His debut album “Garifuna Soul” led him to perform in Europe, the U.S., and beyond.
“He was a pioneering figure from Honduras, bringing Garifuna music to a global audience,” his nephew remarked.
Martínez was celebrated for his exceptional talent and dynamic performances, which made him an integral part of the La Ceiba music scene. He was renowned for his punta rock, a vibrant, Garifuna-infused pop genre that swept across Central America in the 1990s, as highlighted by the Kennedy Center.
According to police, the plane carried 15 passengers, two pilots, and a flight attendant.
The crash, which occurred approximately half a mile offshore, was attributed to an “apparent mechanical failure” of the British-made Jetstream 41 aircraft, as stated by the police.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that she had “promptly activated” an emergency response team consisting of military, firefighters, and other personnel to aid the victims of the crash.