Mexico City, Mexico: At least seven people were killed Monday when a small private jet crashed in central Mexico while attempting an emergency landing, Mexico State Civil Protection Coordinator Adrian Hernandez said.
The accident occurred in San Mateo Atenco, an industrial area roughly 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Toluca International Airport, approximately 50 kilometers west of Mexico City. Officials said the jet was carrying 10 people, eight passengers and two crew members at the time of the crash.
The aircraft, a privately owned jet, had departed earlier from Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific coast and was en route to Toluca when it encountered apparent difficulties mid-flight.
According to Adrián Hernández, coordinator of Mexico State Civil Protection, the jet was carrying eight passengers and two crew members at the time of the incident.
Officials said the aircraft appeared to be attempting an emergency landing on a nearby open field when it instead struck the metal roof of a business structure, igniting a large fire that spread rapidly through the area.
Several hours after the crash, authorities reported that seven bodies had been recovered from the wreckage. Recovery efforts are ongoing and officials have not yet commented on the status of any potentially missing occupants.
Local emergency teams, including civil protection, firefighting units, and rescue personnel, responded swiftly to the scene. San Mateo Atenco Mayor Ana Muñiz confirmed that the blaze prompted the precautionary evacuation of around 130 people from nearby businesses.
Federal and state aviation authorities have launched a formal investigation to determine the cause of the crash. No preliminary findings have been released.
