Ocampo, Coahuila — A private jet returning from Las Vegas crashed in Coahuila, northern Mexico, killing all 13 people aboard.
The deceased includes an entire family of five. The mother and father were originally from Progreso, Yucatan, where they often visited relatives.
The crash occurred Sunday afternoon, when after some turbulence, the pilot of the aircraft lost control and crashed in the Sierra de Monclova, according to local media. It was fairly close to its intended destination of Monterrey.
A published photograph showed burned remnants of the plane, broken into pieces and spread over charred earth.
The passengers had been to a boxing match between Mexican boxer Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and U.S. fighter Daniel Jacobs in Las Vegas on Saturday, local media reports.
Among the victims were 55-year-old businessman Luis Octavio Reyes Dominguez, his wife Loyda Liliana Luna Larrosa, and their three children, Guillermo Octavio, Jade Paola and Frida Alejandrina. The victims were between 19 and 57, according to local media.
News of the tragedy spread quickly in the port city, where the family was well known, Diario de Yucatan reported.
Luis Octavio grew up on Calle 74 between 29 and 31, near the former casino outside the Centro.
The Reyes-Luna family resided in Monterrey where the father was an engineer for TV Azteca. His brother Eduardo traveled to Monclova to identify the bodies. Burial arrangement were not yet announced.
The family was traveling with friends, another family named Vela, said Eduardo.
Canada’s Bombardier Inc. identified the jet as a Challenger 601 and said the plane had disappeared about 150 nautical miles from Monclova.
Expressing its condolences to the victims, the company said it had been in touch with Canada’s transportation safety board and would work with investigating authorities.
Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the twin-engine jet lost contact on Sunday with air traffic controllers sometime after 5:20 p.m. as the pilot descended to avoid a storm.
Francisco Martinez, an emergency services official in Coahuila, stopped short of saying the weather had caused it.
Sources: Diario de Yucatan, Sipse
