Airplane with 18 occupants falls into the sea in Roatán; Six people die

Home News Airplane with 18 occupants falls into the sea in Roatán; Six people die
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March 18, 2025March 18, 2025By Mario Vásquez
Airplane with 18 occupants falls into the sea in Roatán; Six people die

International

A Lanhsa company plane took off the dusk from Roatán, one of the main tourist destinations in Honduras, towards the port of La Ceiba, but fell into the sea.

Rescue tasks in Roatán, Honduras, where an plane fell to the sea after taking off from the local airport. (Free Press Photo: @Policiahonduras)

Rescue tasks in Roatán, Honduras, where an plane fell to the sea after taking off from the local airport. (Free Press Photo: @Policiahonduras)

At least six people died on Monday, March 17, when an aircraft with 18 occupants left the track when taking off from the Honduran Caribbean Island of Roatán and fell into the sea, firefighters reported.

“10 people were rescued and they just informed us from the hospital that six have died,” the Major Wilmer Guerrero, of the Fire Department, told reporters.

Initially, officials had indicated that the occupants were 17, but then the Firefighters and the Police specified that there were 18.

The Guerrero officer added that “it would be necessary to rescue eight people who are in the aircraft. Coordinations are going to be diving.”

The Lanhsa company plane took off the night from Roatán, one of the islands of the Bay and one of the main tourist destinations in Honduras, destined for the port of La Ceiba, on the mainland.

The aircraft “suffered a sharp turn towards the right side of the track at the time of takeoff, falling into the water,” said Carlos Padilla, an official of civil aeronautics.

The Jetstream 41 plane “suffered an apparent mechanical failure at the time of takeoff and lost course towards CEIBA,” said the Honduran police in a statement.

“The aircraft, which transported 15 passengers, two pilots and a hostess, lost strength on the engines and fell to the sea approximately to a kilometer from the air track,” he added.

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