Small plane crash in central Mexico kills at least 10 people, officials say

A small aircraft plunged into an industrial stretch of central Mexico on Monday while attempting an emergency landing, killing at least 10 people and triggering a fierce blaze that forced mass evacuations, authorities said on Tuesday, 16 December.

The crash occurred in San Mateo Atenco, just five kilometres from Toluca airport and around 50 kilometres west of Mexico City. The private jet had departed from the coastal resort city of Acapulco along Mexico’s Pacific shore before disaster struck.

Mexico State Civil Protection coordinator Adrián Hernández said the aircraft was carrying eight passengers and two crew members. Several hours after the crash, only seven bodies had been recovered from the wreckage, leaving the full toll under close scrutiny.

According to Hernández, the pilot appeared to be attempting an emergency landing on a nearby soccer field when the plane struck the metal roof of a business instead, erupting into a large fire that sent thick smoke billowing over the area. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

San Mateo Atenco mayor Ana Muñiz told Milenio Television that the intensity of the fire forced the evacuation of approximately 130 people from surrounding buildings as emergency teams battled the flames and secured the site.

Rescue crews and investigators continued working through the debris late into the day, as questions mounted over what led the aircraft to make its fatal descent just short of the runway.