Seven dead after Honduras plane crashes into the water after takeoff

18/3/2025 12:43

A plane crashed just off the Caribbean coast of Honduras on Monday night minutes after taking off from Roatan Island, killing seven people, while 10 others were pulled out from the wreckage alive, authorities said.



The Jetstream aircraft operated by Honduran airline Lanhsa was carrying 14 passengers and three crew members, according to the country's transport minister, who said the wreckage was found about 1 kilometer off the island's coast.



According to the flight manifest shown by local media, the passengers included a U.S. national, a French national and two minors. The plane was scheduled to fly to La Ceiba airport on the Honduran mainland.



Roatan fire captain Franklin Borjas confirmed the death toll, while both police and fire officials detailed the rescue efforts underway.



Well-known Garifuna musician Aurelio Martinez Suazo was among the dead, according to fire officials.



Dramatic video uploaded to social media by the national police showed officers and other rescue workers carrying survivors onto a rocky coastline, some in stretchers, as a nearby boat shone a bright light amid the darkness.



The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.