A Jetstream 32 with 17 people on board plunged into the sea just seconds after takeoff from Roatán, Honduras.
A British Aerospace Jetstream 32 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 (0.6 mile) 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.
The survivors were transported to a nearby hospital, while also confirming that the crash took place shortly after the plane’s takeoff from the island.
