A local fisherman has described the shocking moment he witnessed a plane crash into the sea, killing 12 people.
Eight passengers and three crew members died when the aircraft went down off the coast of Roatan Island, Honduras on Monday. Singer-songwriter and politician Aurelio Martinez Suazo was one of those killed, while local reports said that two children were among the 17 passengers on board the plane. A French citizen was reported to be one of the survivors of the doomed flight, which plunged into the sea while heading towards La Ceiba airport on the mainland. A local fishing boat was first on the scene of the crash, before later being joined by police and emergency services in their efforts to rescue survivors from the water.
Dramatic footage shared on social media showed people being brought to shore in stretchers late into the nighty, as another boat illuminated the scene with a bright torchlight. One of the fishermen, Manuel Alemán, said he saw the aeroplane come down just 330 feet away from his boat.
He and his crew quickly navigated towards the scene, where they saw the light aircraft split in two and victims’ bodies floating among the floating wreckage. As they got closer, the fishermen heard the screams of the surviving passengers, and were able to rescue four “terrified” people on board.
Mr Alemán told the La Prensa newspaper: “The plane broke in two upon impact. Furniture, bodies, and wounded people were floating about. They just asked to be pulled out of the water; they were terrified. We rescued three women and one man.”
Rescue efforts were hampered by rocky terrain and poor visibility in the area. Local fire captain Franklin Borjas said: “It’s been difficult to access the accident (site) because there are 30 metres (98 ft) of rocks, and you can’t get there while walking or swimming.
“The divers helping with the rescue have zero visibility.” The victims bodies were taken from Roatan to a morgue in San Pedro Sula, a city on the mainland.
Tributes have been paid to Aurelio Martinez Suazo, who was a former member of Honduras’ Congress and member of the Garifuna ethnic group, which is of mixed African and indigenous heritage. Before his political career, Martinez Suazo was a member of a popular band playing traditional Garifuna music, and his first solo album “Garifuna Soul” took him on tour to the UK, Europe, the United States and around the world.
His nephew Angel Aparicio Fernandez Martinez, who had played with his uncle, said on Tuesday: “We’re devastated. He was the family’s pillar. He was the greatest model of Garifuna music on a worldwide stage.”
The National Police confirmed the number of deaths in a statement on social media. They said: “We are present in the rescue of the people affected in this plane accident. 12 people dead and five alive after plane crash in Roatan at this time, only one body remains to be recovered, and rescue teams continue their work.”
Officials released harrowing footage which showed rescue teams as they saved the survivors from drowning. In the clip, officers formed a line as they passed the victims to each other and carried them out of the sea.
According to the country’s transport minister, the wreckage was discovered around 1km off the island’s coast. Shocking images showed the aftermath of the disaster as emergency services rushed to the scene.
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