Photo Credit: Getty Images
A plane crashed close to Honduras, killing Aurelio Martinez and eleven other people. Authorities claimed that at least 12 persons were killed when a Lanhsa Airlines aircraft that had taken off from the Honduran island of Roatan crashed into the Caribbean Sea late on the evening of March 17.
In a Spanish-translated statement to X, Honduras National Police stated, "After a plane crash in Roatan, twelve people were killed and five were alive." "Rescue teams are still working, and as of right now, there is only one body left to be recovered."
The plane "made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water," Civil Aviation Official Carlos Padilla told CBS News.
The 56-year-old Martinez, a well-known figure in the Garifuna music industry who went by the stage name Aurelio and served as a lawmaker in the Honduran National Congress, was also among the passengers, according to the aforementioned outlet and local Honduran sites.
Belize released a statement praising the musician after learning of his passing.
In a statement posted on their official Ministry of Foreign Affairs X account, Belize said, "Aurelio was a great friend of Belize and a true champion of Garifuna culture and music." "As a well-known Garifuna musician, Aurelio was a strong voice in protecting and advancing the Garinagu people's rich cultural legacy."
His passing "leaves a void in the world of music and culture, but his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who loved his art and his people," the statement continued.
Honduran rescue teams are "tirelessly" trying to save survivors from the disaster and get them to nearby hospitals, according to Xiomara Castro, president of Honduras, in her own statement to X. In closing, she said, "May God protect people's lives."
