The death toll from Monday’s crash of a Lanhsa Airlines Jetstream 32 turboprop off Roatán Island has risen to 13, with Honduran rescue teams recovering the final body from the Caribbean Sea. The small plane, carrying 18 occupants—15 passengers, two pilots, and a flight attendant—plunged into the water shortly after takeoff from Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport, bound for La Ceiba on the mainland. Initially reported as claiming 12 lives with one person missing, the Fire Department confirmed the recovery of the last victim, a female passenger, ending the search and updating the fatality count.
The aircraft crashed about one kilometer from the runway, which sits at the edge of the sea on Roatán, a key tourist destination in Honduras’ Bay Islands. “We confirm the recovery of the last victim’s body,” the Fire Department stated, noting that civilian boats assisted in the effort. Five survivors were rescued shortly after the incident, including Jairo Vargas, who told local media, “After takeoff, a gust of wind hit, and the plane dropped instantly.” Vargas suffered a fractured tibia and minor head trauma. Among the injured is a 40-year-old French woman, the only foreigner aboard, now receiving treatment at Mario Catarino Rivas Hospital in San Pedro Sula.
Authorities, including Transport Minister Octavio Pineda, point to a “possible mechanical failure” as the cause, with the plane losing engine power moments after departure. “We’re awaiting the black box to confirm,” Pineda said. The crash claimed the life of renowned Garífuna singer-songwriter Aurelio Martínez, 55, whose death has left a cultural void. President Xiomara Castro’s Emergency Operations Committee, activated immediately after the Monday evening crash, continues to support survivors and families. Airport operations remain suspended, impacting tourism as the investigation deepens.
