A plane went down off the coast of Honduras late Monday, crashing into the Caribbean Sea shortly after departing from Roatan Island.
The accident claimed the lives of seven people, while ten others were rescued from the wreckage.
According to the Honduran transport ministry, the aircraft, a Jetstream operated by local airline Lanhsa, was carrying 14 passengers and three crew members.
The wreckage was located approximately one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the island’s shoreline.
Passenger details from the flight manifest, as reported by local media, revealed that the victims included a U.S. national, a French national, and two minors.
The plane was en route to La Ceiba airport on the Honduran mainland.
Fire captain Franklin Borjas confirmed the casualties, while emergency responders, including police and firefighters, worked to rescue survivors.
Fire officials also disclosed that prominent Garifuna musician Aurelio Martínez Suazo was among those who lost their lives in the crash.
Footage shared on social media by the national police depicted rescue workers carrying survivors onto a rocky shore, some on stretchers, as a boat’s spotlight illuminated the dark waters.
As of the time of this report, authorities had not determined the cause of the crash.
Roatan, the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands, is a well-known tourist destination, particularly famous for its coral reefs.