“In the United States, a plane of the Mexican Navy with patients crashed, five people died, including a child. The reason could be poor visibility.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Source: CNN citing statements from the US Coast Guard, the county sheriff and the Mexican military
Details: According to the US Coast Guard, the plane crash was reported at around 3:17 p.m. local time.
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As of Monday evening, rescuers confirmed the death of five people. Two people were rescued, their condition is currently unknown. One more passenger is still missing, and a search operation is ongoing in the waters west of the Galveston Dam.
The Mexican Naval Command officially confirmed that there were eight people on board the small twin-engine turbojet: four crew members and four civilians.
Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen said the plane was transporting burn patients for medical treatment. According to the FlightRadar24 service, the plane took off from the Mexican city of Merida and was heading to Galveston-Scholes International Airport, located about 80 kilometers from Houston.
Divers, criminal investigators and patrol boats are working at the crash site. Drones are involved in the search.
Difficult weather conditions could be one of the probable causes of the accident. A witness to the event, an employee of the local Galveston Bait and Tackle company, Billy Hovel, noted that there was thick fog at the time of the crash.
“At the time of the accident, visibility was literally zero. This is not uncommon near the island, where fog can appear in a matter of minutes,” Hovel said.