A plane on Monday night crashed just off the Caribbean coast of Honduras, a few minutes after taking off from Roatan Island, killing seven people, while 10 others were pulled out from the wreckage alive.
The country’s transport ministry said that the Jetstream aircraft operated by Honduran airline Lanhsa was carrying 14 passengers and three crew members.
The ministry added that 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 US national, a French national and two minors.
It was gathered that 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.
Fire officials, who spoke to journalists said renowned Garifuna musician Aurelio Martinez Suazo was among the dead.
Video uploaded to social media by the national police showed officers and other rescue workers carrying survivors onto a rocky coastline, some in stretchers, as a nearby boat shone a bright light amid the darkness.
At the time of filing this report, the cause of the crash was not clear.
News360 Info reports that Roatan, the largest of the Bay Islands just off the Honduran coast, is a popular tourist attraction and famed for its vibrant coral reefs.
