According to the National Service of Civil Aviation, yesterday’s airplane crash happened a little after 7 a.m. local time, just minutes after air traffic controllers instructed the pilots to land the plane. The co-pilot, Eduardo Faasch, survived the crash, but died on the way to the hospital. His last words were, “I am cold, help, I love life”. The Central American Airways flight, a Let L-410, was carrying two pilots and 12 passengers when it crashed in the town of Las Mesitas.

Members Of The Red Cross Search The Crash Site

Airline manager Felix Pacheco said: “I’m destroyed, in shock, because of what happened,” saying the flight was a daily one, and regularly scheduled.

Jorge Deras, mayor of Santa Ana, near Las Mesitas, said he heard an explosion and ran to the crash site.

“We found many… bodies strewn about,” he said. “It’s a tragic vision.”

The president of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo, said he was “appalled” by the plane crash. The President arrived at noon today at the funeral of three victims from San Pedro Sula and was accompanied by the Ministers of Health, Arthur Bendaña, Defense Minister, Marlon Pascua, the Minister of Labor, Felícito Ávila, and the Presidential Commissioner for the Sula Valley, Emil Hawit.

Friends and families have asked the government of Honduras to investigate the incident and take action to prevent further tragedy. More details will not be known until the flight data recorder (black box) is heard, revealing what happened during the plane crash that has saddened the country.

Today, the bodies of businessman and sports leader Carlos Chahín, The poultry producer and businessman, Julio Alvarenga, and a professional in law, Sara Villacorta are being buried in the Gardens of Remembrance.

The Honduran government has declared three days of mourning to honor those killed in the accident.

Following is the complete list of passengers on board:

• Israel Salinas (General Secretary of the Confederation of the Workers of Honduras [Confederación Unitaria de Trabajadores de Honduras (CUTH)])
• Carlos Chahín(former President of the Real España soccer team, and former Minister of the Economy for Honduras)
• Rodolfo Rovelo (Vice Minister of Soptravi)
• Julio Alvarenga (Poultry Producer and Businessman)
• Plutarco Molina (Architect)
• Joaquín Fernández
• Alejandra Figueroa
• Leda Cabrera
• Sara Villacorta (Professional in Law)
• James Howell (United States)
• Peter Michael Jong (Canada)
• Flynn Tomchuk (United States)
• Óscar Benjamín Anderson (pilot)
• Eduardo Ernesto Faasch (co-pilot)