At least 12 people lost their lives Monday night when a plane crashed into the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Roatan, Honduras. Among the victims was Aurelio Martinez, a celebrated Honduran musician and politician who was the country’s first black congressman.

The aircraft, a British-made Jetstream 41 operated by Aerolinea Lanhsa, departed from Roatan Island en route to La Ceiba on the mainland before experiencing an “apparent mechanical failure,” according to Honduran police.

The crash occurred just half a mile from the island’s coastline.

Six killed after LANHSA Jetstream 31 plunges into the sea on departure from Juan Manuel Galvez Airport in Roatán, Honduras.

The aircraft, operated by the Honduran carrier Lanhsa, was carrying 17 passengers, including three crew members.

Roatan fire chief Wilmer Guerrero told… pic.twitter.com/uVlZ5WyQM4

— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) March 18, 2025

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Carlos Padilla, a civil aviation official, reported that the plane “made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water.”

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Witnesses, including a local fisherman, described the moment of impact. “The plane almost fell on us. I was fishing,” the unnamed man told HCH television.

Authorities confirmed that Flight 018 had 15 passengers, two pilots, and a flight attendant on board.

Emergency response teams, including the national police and fire department, managed to rescue five people from the wreckage.

A dramatic video posted to social media showed rescuers carrying a survivor on a stretcher to the rocky shoreline.

¡OTRA VÍCTIMA RESCATADA!
En una extraordinaria labor de rescate, nuestros policías estuvieron desde el inicio y continúan en el lugar de los hechos en donde se suscitó el accidente aéreo. #ÚLTIMAHORA #roatan @hegusave pic.twitter.com/1MRqLFiugs

— Policía Nacional de Honduras (@PoliciaHonduras) March 18, 2025

Despite ongoing efforts, one body remains missing, according to officials.

Tributes poured in for Martinez, 55, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as a leading figure in Honduras’ Garifuna music scene before transitioning to politics.

His groundbreaking election to Congress marked a historic moment for the country’s Afro-Honduran community.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro de Zelaya expressed her condolences and said she had “immediately activated” rescue teams, including the Red Cross.

“May God protect people’s lives,” she said in a statement.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the crash as search and recovery efforts remain underway.

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