Deadly Helicopter Crash Kills Mexican Governor, Husband
A helicopter crash killed five people Monday, including the new governor of the Mexican state of Puebla.
Puebla governor Martha Erika Alonso died when the helicopter she was riding in crashed in central Mexico at about 2:40 p.m., CNN reported.
Alonso’s husband, Mexican Sen. Rafael Moreno Valle, was also killed in the accident as were the helicopter’s pilot and co-pilot and another passenger, Public Security and Civil Protection Secretary Alfonso Durazo said.
Durazo said the helicopter crashed 10 minutes after takeoff.
Helicopter carrying Puebla state Senator Moreno and Governor Alonso and their crew crashed in the municipality of Coronango this Christmas Eve afternoon, northwest of Puebla City. There are no survivors. pic.twitter.com/5t7LzB9rMP
— MXC© Aviation (@MXCaviation) December 24, 2018
Communication was lost, he said, and then a crash was heard.
Mexico’s Puebla governor Martha Erika Alonso dies in helicopter crash
Mexico’s Puebla governor Martha Erika Alonso dies in helicopter crash Governor Martha Erika Alonso, who died along with her senator husband, was sworn in on 14 December. pic.twitter.com/96TQZYFqrX
— THE WORLD WIDE NEWS (@haseebsl98) December 25, 2018
“When the aircraft was in flight some three nautical miles from the Puebla airport, it suffered an apparent failure which hasn’t been determined yet,” Durazo said, according to the BBC.
“At this point, there’s no evidence that could lead us to conclude that the cause was not related to how the (helicopter) was functioning.”
Alonso and her husband were bound for Mexico City, Communications and Transportation Secretary Javier Jimenez Espriu said.
Mexican Civil Aviation authorities were investigating the crash.
“We cannot speculate in any way,” Espriu said. “We will be clear and transparent and let you know any evidence we find.”
Alonso took office on Dec. 14 after a narrow election win. She was the first female governor of Puebla.
During the campaign, her opponents said that the election was being manipulated by Valle to ensure that his wife would hold office, The New York Times reported.
My condolences to the family of former Puebla Governor Rafael Moreno Valle and his wife, current Governor Martha Erika Alonso. They died tonight in a helicopter crash. They hosted us on our trade mission to Mexico. Puebla is NJ’s sister Mexican state. I am sick over this loss.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) December 25, 2018
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tweeted that the investigation would allow his administration to “tell the truth about what happened and act accordingly.”
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