Honduras Plane Crash Claims 12 Lives, Including Renowned Garifuna Musician Aurelio Martínez Suazo
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduran authorities have confirmed that a deadly plane crash off the Honduran coast resulted in 12 fatalities. The victims include a renowned Garifuna musician.
The Lanhsa Airlines plane went down in the sea shortly after its Monday night departure from Roatan Island. Its destination was La Ceiba, a city on the mainland.
The flight manifest listed 17 passengers and crew members. Five individuals were rescued and are currently receiving hospital treatment.
According to police reports, the aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude and quickly submerged upon impact. Local fishermen were instrumental in rescuing the survivors.
The Honduran Civil Aeronautics Agency has launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.
Aurelio Martínez Suazo, a former Congressman and a member of the Garifuna ethnic group, was among those killed. The Garifuna people have both African and Indigenous roots. Martínez Suazo was also a U.S. citizen. His representative, Helene Odile Guivarch, a French citizen, was among those who survived.
Martínez Suazo was originally from the Gracias a Dios region of Honduras, located along the country’s Caribbean coast.
“We’re devastated,” said Ángel Aparicio Fernández Martínez, his nephew, who is also a musician and played alongside his uncle. “He was the family’s pillar.”
Martínez Suazo was previously a member of Los Gatos Bravos before establishing his own group, Lita Ariran. His debut album, “Garifuna Soul,” propelled him to international recognition, with performances in Europe, the United States, and other countries.
“He was the greatest model from Honduras of Garifuna music on a worldwide stage,” his nephew stated.
Humberto Castillo, president of the Association of Afro-descendants of the Sula Valley, described Martínez Suazo as “the ambassador of Garifuna culture,” highlighting his fluency in Garifuna and Miskito languages, as well as his compositions in both languages.
The bodies of the deceased have been transported from Roatan to the morgue in San Pedro Sula.
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