18-03-2025
Musician Aurelio Martinez, 11 Others Dead in Plane Crash Near Honduras
Originally appeared on E! Online
Aurelio Martinez and 11 others have died after a plane crashed near Honduras.
Late in the evening of March 17, a Lanhsa Airlines plane that had departed from Roatan, a Honduran island, crashed into the Caribbean sea, killing at least 12 people, authorities said.
'Twelve people dead and five alive after plane crash in Roatan,' Honduras National Police wrote in a statement to X, translated from Spanish. 'At this time, only one body remains to be recovered, and rescue teams continue their work."
Civil Aviation Official Carlos Padilla told CBS News that the aircraft had 'made a sharp turn to the right of the runway and fell into the water.
The aforementioned outlet, as well as local outlets in Honduras, further reported that among the passengers was 56-year-old Martinez, a popular member of the Garifuna music scene known by the moniker Aurelio, who was also representative in the Honduran National Congress.
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Following news of his death, the country of Belize issued a statement eulogizing the musician.
'Aurelio was a great friend of Belize and a true champion of Garifuna culture and music,' the country wrote in a statement to their official Ministry of Foreign Affairs X account. 'As a renowned Garifuna musician, Aurelio was a powerful voice in preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Garinagu people."
The statement added that the musician's death 'leaves a void in the world of music and culture, but his legacy will live on in the hearts of all who loved his art and his people.'
In her own statement to X, president of Honduras Xiomara Castro noted that the Honduras rescue teams are 'tirelessly' working to save survivors from the crash and transport them to local hospitals. She concluded in her statement, 'May God protect people's lives.'
E! News has reached out to local Honduran authorities as well as to reps for Aurelio Martinez, but has not yet heard back.
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