Tragic Plane Crash Near Honduran Island Claims 12 Lives, Including Musician Aurelio Martinez
via DJ Chris LDE / YouTube
A small plane crash off the coast of the Honduran island of Roatan tragically killed at least 12 people, including renowned musician Aurelio Martinez, officials reported. The disaster unfolded on Monday night as a Lanhsa Airlines plane departed from Roatan, a well-loved tourist spot, heading for La Ceiba on the mainland of Honduras.
Rescue Efforts
Civil aviation official, Carlos Padilla, stated the plane “made a sharp turn to the right off the runway and fell into the water.” A fisherman who saw the incident told HCH television, “The plane almost fell on us.”
The plane had 17 passengers and crew members aboard. Five individuals were rescued and sent to the hospital. Rescue teams swiftly reached the scene to begin their search efforts. Dramatic video shared on social media by the national police showed workers carrying one of the survivors on a stretcher onto the rocky shore. The rescue operations continued, with one body still missing.
Roatan fire captain, Franklin Borjas, said to Reuters that the survivors were taken to a nearby hospital. “It’s been difficult to access the accident site because there are 30 meters of rocks and you can’t get there while walking or swimming,” Borjas explained. He noted that assisting divers faced zero visibility, making the search even harder.
View this post on Instagram
Former member of Honduras Congress Aurelio Martinez
Among the victims was Aurelio Martinez, who was not just a musician but also a former member of Congress. Martinez belonged to the Garifuna ethnic group, known for blending African and Indigenous heritage, and he also held U.S. citizenship. His representative, Helene Odile Guivarch from France, survived the tragic crash.
Martinez hailed from the Gracias a Dios region of Honduras, situated along the Caribbean coast. “We’re devastated,” shared his nephew, Ángel Aparicio Fernández Martínez, also a musician. “He was the family’s pillar.”
Martinez first rose to fame with the band Los Gatos Bravos before forming his own group, Lita Ariran. His debut album, “Garifuna Soul,” launched him on tours across Europe, the U.S., and beyond. “He was the greatest model from Honduras of Garifuna music on a worldwide stage,” his nephew added.
Investigation is On-Going
According to the Kennedy Center, Martinez’s “virtuosic musicianship and passionate performances made him a mainstay of the La Ceiba music scene, where he was best loved for his take on punta rock, the high-energy, Garifuna roots-infused pop genre that took Central America by storm in the 1990s.”
The plane had 15 passengers, two pilots, and a flight attendant, as reported by the police. The crash, which took place about half a mile from the island’s coast, was attributed to an “apparent mechanical failure” in the British-made Jetstream 41, according to a police statement.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro activated an emergency committee including the armed forces, firefighters, and others to aid the accident victims.
