Wed, Nov 05, 2008
Plane Impacts Crowded Mexico City Neighborhood During Rush
Hour
The rush hour downing of a Lear business jet into a crowded
Mexico City neighborhood Tuesday claimed the lives of all onboard,
including two prominent officials in the Mexican government.
The Houston Chronicle reports Interior Minister Juan Camilo
Mourino and former Assistant Attorney General Jose Luis Santiago
Vasconcelos died in the crash, along with six others onboard the
small jet. The plane departed the northern city of San Luis Potosi,
and was on approach to land at Mexico City International
Airport.
Conflicting local media reports identify the accident type as
either a Lear 24/25 series (shown below), or a larger Learjet
45.
At least 40 persons on the ground were injured as the plane
crashed in the affluent Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood, and
officials said the death toll could rise due to scores of people
still missing.
Mourino and Santiago Vasconcelos were both top aides to Mexican
President Felipe Calderon. The former was the president's top
advisor in dealing with Mexico's tortured internal political
structure.
"With his death Mexico loses a great Mexican, intelligent,
loyal, committed to his ideals and to the country," said Calderon
following the accident. "With Juan Camilo Mourino I shared for many
years a fight for the ideal of a new country, the ideal of a new
and better Mexico."
Santiago Vasconcelos was a top anti-narcotics official in former
President Vicente Fox's administration, and retained a prominent
role combating illegal drug cartels when he moved to the Attorney
General's office in December 2006.
Officials say there is no reason to suspect foul play in the
crash. There is presently no explanation for the cause of the
accident.
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