From Ground to Sky: Earthquake Survivors Killed in Tragic Helicopter Crash in Mexico
After a powerful earthquake rocked southern Mexico on Friday, frightened survivors near the epicenter sought safety wherever they could—gathering in open fields or sleeping inside their cars, too afraid to return to their damaged, unsteady homes amid fears of aftershocks.
But just as the ground had stopped shaking, a new horror came from above.
A military helicopter, carrying Mexico’s Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca Governor Alejandro Murat, was preparing to land in the town of Jamiltepec—only 20 miles from the quake’s epicenter—when the pilot suddenly lost control. Within moments, the aircraft spiraled down and crashed directly onto a group of parked vehicles where families had been sheltering.
The devastating accident claimed the lives of 14 people on the ground, including at least three children, and left 21 others injured, according to Oaxaca’s state prosecutor’s office.
Miraculously, all passengers aboard the helicopter—including the high-ranking officials—survived with only minor injuries.
Speaking with local media, Interior Secretary Navarrete explained that the Blackhawk helicopter lost control roughly 100 feet from the ground as it prepared to land. “It is deeply regrettable that this tragedy occurred,” he said in an interview with Televisa, adding that it was fortunate “there was no greater loss of life.”
The following day, Mexico’s Secretary of National Defense, Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda, visited the crash site. With solemn words, he addressed the grieving community: “This tragedy arose from our mission to help,” he said. “We fully accept responsibility for what happened here.”
Cienfuegos pledged that the military would help rebuild homes and provide additional support to the quake-stricken region—one now mourning not just the scars of an earthquake, but the sudden loss of loved ones in an unimaginable twist of fate.