A medical doctor and others on board an air ambulance were killed when it crashed in the central Mexico state of Morelos.
The small plane was travelling from Iguala, a city in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero, and was moments from landing at Mariano Matamoros Airport in Cuernavaca when it plummeted in a wooded, mountainous area near the municipality of Tetlama on Wednesday, Nov. 1.
Images on social media showed the aircraft, a Learjet 35, in flames and smoke billowing from it.
The crash killed the pilot, Gerardo Álvarez; the co-pilot, Roberto Manzano; Dr. Lilian Reséndiz; and paramedic, Mario León.
A witness told Mexican news outlet Proceso that she spotted the plane making “one turn in the air” before it crashed.
“Then I heard three explosions,” she said. “When we approached the plane it was already on fire. About 20 minutes later the rescue teams arrived.”
The plane was part of a fleet operated by XÉ Médica Ambulancias.
“We deeply regret the deaths of our colleagues (and) aeromedical crew,” the company said in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Your family and friends, please accept our condolences.”
The Morelos State Attorney General’s Office is leading the cause of the investigation.
