At least six people were killed when a Mexican Naval plane crashed in Galveston Bay off the Texas coast on Monday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The office of the Secretary of the Mexican Navy said on X Monday evening that the aircraft, with eight people on board, was conducting a medical support mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation.
Rescue crews, in coordination with the U.S. Coast Guard, recovered the bodies of six deceased individuals, with search and rescue operations ongoing for the two remaining individuals on board.
The Coast Guard said in a press release that watchstanders at its Houston-Galveston sector received a call at roughly 3:17 p.m. CST reporting a plane crash west of the Galveston Causeway.
Information from flight-tracking site FlightRadar24 shows that the plane departed Merida Airport at 12:48 p.m. CST and was scheduled to arrive at Scholes International in Galveston at 3:45 p.m. CST.
An official with the Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston told The Hill Monday night that the crash remains under investigation.
Watchstanders directed the launch of a 29-foot response boat and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter in response, the release noted. In addition to the Coast Guard, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), Galveston Police Department, Galveston Fire Department, Galveston Beach Patrol and Galveston Life Guards responded to the crash.
The GCSO said on Facebook earlier Monday that personnel from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were assisting at the scene. The sheriff’s office added that the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is leading the investigation into the crash.
The Hill has reached out to DPS for further details. At just past 7:30 p.m. ET, the department’s Southeast Texas regional office said on X that the investigation remains active and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are on the scene.
The Hill has reached out to the FAA and NTSB for comment.
