Twelve people, including renowned Garifuna musician Aurelio Martínez, died in a plane crash off Honduras’s Roatán Island on Monday. The Lanhsa Airlines aircraft went down shortly after takeoff, killing Martínez, two children, a French national, a U.S.
national, and others. Authorities confirmed that the plane, carrying three crew members and fourteen passengers, was headed to La Ceiba on the mainland. Emergency responders recovered bodies from the sea by torchlight as rough weather hindered rescue operations.
Fire officials said they were still searching for one missing victim. President Xiomara Castro activated the Emergency Operations Committee, including the fire department, armed forces, and Red Cross, to coordinate rescue and medical care in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba. Roatán is Honduras’s largest and most visited Bay Island.
