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GALVESTON, Texas — A person who went missing after a plane went down in Galveston, Texas was found dead on Tuesday evening, the Mexican Navy announced.
The Coast Guard confirmed eight people were on board the plane when it went down just before 3:30 p.m. on Monday near the Galveston Causeway. The Mexican Navy said six people died and two survived. The plane, they said, was on a medical support mission.
According to the president of Mexico, those aboard the plane were traveling from Yucatan to Galveston to receive burn care for a young patient.
Doctors, nurses, Navy personnel and a child with their family were all on their way to Shriners Children’s Hospital, according to Mexican authorities.
The Mexican president said that for about 10 minutes, the plane lost communications, which led officials to believe it had landed.
In a statement, Shriners Children’s Texas confirmed that a child was being transported to their hospital for burn care:
“It is with profound sadness that we learned of a child involved in a plane crash while being transported for burn care in Galveston (Monday) afternoon. Shriners Children’s Texas prides ourselves on caring for children from all over the world. Having not admitted this patient, we are unable to provide any information.”
On Tuesday morning, crews were joined by Tim Miller and Texas EquuSearch and were seen circling an area that appears to be part of the crash site, with a mission to find the missing victim.
Following Monday’s crash, witnesses quickly jumped into the water to help. A video shared with Houston affiliate KTRK shows a man pulling a woman from the wreckage.
“A lot of manpower, a lot of prayers,” Miller said after being asked what goes into the search.
Todd and Thad Donalson and their two children were fishing on Monday in Galveston near the crash site. After the crash, they told KTRK they moved toward the area and saw plastic plane pieces.
“A moment later, we started to hear a young woman scream off in the distance,” Todd Donalson recalled.
They rescued her. Unfortunately, they said, they also found the body of a young child.
“That’s what we kept telling the kids, ‘try not to think about the death that we saw, but to think we saved somebody’s life today,'” Donalson said. “Think of the positive.”
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it launched an investigation into the incident.
On Tuesday evening, crews pulled large pieces of the wreckage out of the water. Once on land, the NTSB said the wreckage will move to a secure site where it will be looked at by an investigator.
According to the NTSB, flight track data, recordings of any air traffic control communications and weather conditions will be among the items that will be looked at during the investigation.
Officials urge anyone with information that could be relevant to the investigation to contact the NTSB at [email protected].
KTRK reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for more information about the investigation and the condition of the two survivors, and received the following response:
“The FAA is supporting the NTSB’s investigation of a Beechcraft King Air 350i that crashed in Galveston Bay, Texas, on Monday, Dec. 22. The NTSB will provide all updates on the investigation.”
See the Mexican Navy’s full statement:
The Secretariat of the Navy informs that, with the support of local authorities, the body of the person who had remained unaccounted for following the aircraft accident that occurred yesterday has been located; regrettably, the individual was found deceased.
Likewise, the Secretariat of the Navy expresses its profound sorrow over the death of six of the eight people involved in this tragic incident. The two individuals who survived the accident are in stable condition and are receiving appropriate medical care.
In light of this painful outcome, the Mexican Navy continues interinstitutional and international coordination, as well as close support for the families, in order to provide them with the necessary assistance and care.
It is worth noting that throughout this process, the Institution has received support from the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs, the Consulate General of Mexico in Houston, and other local authorities of the United States of America.
We appreciate the expressions of solidarity and support conveyed in connection with this event and reiterate our deepest condolences to the affected families. We also reaffirm our institutional commitment to providing information responsibly and with respect.
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