Mexican Navy plane carrying child patient crashes off Texas coast, killing at least five as two are rescued alive

A Mexican Navy plane carrying a child medical patient crashed off the Texas coast near Galveston on Monday, killing at least five people while two others were pulled from the water alive.

Four of the people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, including a child, Mexico’s Navy said in a statement.

US Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker did not identify which passengers had died.

Two of the people aboard the King Air ANX 1209 were members from the Michou and Mau Foundation, a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children with severe burns.

The group were believed to be enroute to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston for specialized burns treatment.

The Michou and Mau Foundation said in a post on social media: ‘We express our deepest solidarity with the families in light of these events. We share their grief with respect and compassion, honoring their memory and reaffirming our commitment to providing humane, sensitive, and dignified care to children with burns.’

The crash took place Monday afternoon near the base of a causeway, a raised roadway typically built over water, near Galveston, along the Texas coast about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The cause is under investigation.

Mexico’s Navy said in a statement that the plane was helping with a medical mission and had an ‘accident’. It had been flying from Monterrey, Mexico, to Scholes International Airport in Galveston.

Authorities and volunteers are seen responding to a Mexican Navy plane crash near Galveston, Texas on Monday

Rescuers are seen scrambling to save any survivors from the Mexican Navy plane crash

The wreckage from the aircraft can be seen floating in the water on Galveston Bay

It promised to investigate the cause and is helping local authorities with the search and rescue operation.

Sky Decker, a professional yacht captain who lives about a mile from the crash site, said he jumped in his boat to see if he could help.

He said he picked up two police officers who directed him through thick fog to a nearly completely submerged plane. Decker jumped in the water and found a badly injured woman trapped beneath chairs and other debris.

‘I couldn’t believe. She had maybe three inches of air gap to breathe in,’ he said. ‘And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.’

He said he also pulled out a man sitting in front of her who had already died. He described both of them as being dressed in civilian clothes.

Mexico’s Marines said in a statement that it is sending ‘its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.’

Preliminary data shows the aircraft disappeared from radar over the bay around 3:02pm with the first 911 call placed at 3:07pm.

Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on X.

A spokesperson from NTSB said they are ‘aware of this accident and are gathering information about it.’

The Galveston County Sheriff´s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.

Emergency personnel rush a victim of a small plane crash to an awaiting ambulance

Law Enforcement officers and emergency personnel gather at the boat ramp at Galveston Bait & Tackle in heavy fog at the base of the causeway, near Galveston, Texas on Monday

Galveston Police officers watch the water on Galveston Bay west of the Galveston causeway, as emergency personnel search for a small airplane that went down in the bay in heavy fog

It said in a post on Facebook that the public should avoid the area so emergency responders can work safely.

Galveston is an island that is a popular beach destination.

It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. The area had been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

He said that at about 2:30pm on Monday, a fog came in that left visibility at half a mile.