Twelve people, including Garifuna musician Aurelio Martinez, died in a plane crash near Roatan Island, Honduras. The Lanhsa-operated aircraft carried three crew members and fourteen passengers, among them two children, a French national, and a U.S. national. The flight was bound for La Ceiba on the mainland.
Rescue teams retrieved bodies from the sea on Monday night, with operations complicated by unfavorable weather, according to fire chief Franklin Borjas. Authorities continue searching for the final victim.
Roatan, known for its coral reefs and tourism, was the site of the crash just one kilometer from the island’s airport. President Xiomara Castro activated the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) to assist, noting that injured passengers were being treated at public hospitals in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba.