At least 5 killed after Mexican Navy plane on medical mission crashes in Texas

A small Mexican Navy plane carrying a young medical patient and seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least five people and sparking a search in waters along the Texas coast, officials said.

Four of those on board were naval officers and four were civilians, including a child, the Mexican navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. Two of the passengers belonged to a nonprofit organization that provides aid to severely burned Mexican children, including transporting them to a Galveston hospital.

U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker said at least five people on board died, but did not identify which of the passengers.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

The Mexican Marines said in a statement that they send “their deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.”

The accident occurred Monday afternoon in Galveston Bay, near the base of the causeway that connects Galveston Island to the mainland. Rescuers and search teams rushed to the scene near the popular beach along the Texas coast, about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) southeast of Houston.

Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help. He said he picked up two police officers who directed him, through thick fog, to an almost completely submerged plane. Decker jumped into the water and found a seriously injured woman trapped under chairs and other debris.

“I couldn’t believe it. She had maybe 3 inches of air space to breathe,” he said. “And there was jet fuel mixed in the water, really bad fumes. She was really fighting for her life.”

He said he also brought out a man sitting in front of her who was already dead. He described them as being dressed in civilian clothes.

The Mexican Navy said the plane was participating in a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transportation for children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston, according to the nonprofit organization’s website.

The foundation said in a social media post: “We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive and dignified care for burned children.”

The Mexican Navy’s statement said the plane had an “accident” during its approach to Galveston, but did not provide further details.

Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board arrived at the scene of the accident, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on the social platform X.

An NTSB spokesperson said they were “aware of this accident and are gathering information about it.” The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.

It was not immediately clear whether weather was a factor. The region has experienced foggy conditions in recent days, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Cameron Batiste. He said that around 2:30 p.m. Monday, a fog appeared with visibility of about half a mile.