Mexican Interior Minister among dead in Learjet crash

[Tintin]

"MEXICO CITY (CNN) -- The death toll in a plane crash that claimed the lives of Mexico's interior minister and two other high-ranking officials has risen to 13, a Mexico City official told the state-run Notimex news agency on Wednesday.
The scene of Tuesday night's plane crash in Mexico City was one of panic and confusion, a witness says.

The scene of Tuesday night's plane crash in Mexico City was one of panic and confusion, a witness says.

The small aircraft carrying Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, 37, and seven others crashed Tuesday night in Mexico City.

A witness described "moments of panic and confusion" after the crash as burning people asked for help and others ran from the scene.

The crash injured 40 people on the ground, said government spokesman Marcelo Ebrard. All eight passengers and crew onboard the plane were killed, the spokesman said. Two of the dead are women, Mancera said.

Former Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, director of social communication, were among the dead, President Felipe Calderon said in a televised address Tuesday night.

"I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of the victims and my absolute support during this difficult time," Calderon said.

He called Mourino "one of my closest colleagues and one of my best friends," adding, "With his death, Mexico loses a great Mexican."

At least 12 cars were burned, and two buildings were damaged, Notimex said. Video Watch video footage of the aftermath of the crash »

The Learjet 45 did not explode in the air, said Luis Tellez, secretary of communication and transportation.

When a plane explodes in the air, pieces of the aircraft are scattered over a wide area, Tellez said at a news conference Wednesday. But the wreckage in this instance was limited to a small area, he said.

An air controller had told Notimex on Tuesday that the pilot reported an emergency shortly after takeoff but did not say what the crisis was before losing communication.

But Tellez said Wednesday that the pilot had not reported an emergency, Notimex said.

The plane was traveling from the north-central city of San Luis Potosi to Mexico City, Calderon said. The two cities are about 220 miles (355 kilometers) apart.

As interior minister, Mourino oversaw the country's domestic affairs, particularly law enforcement. It is Mexico's second most powerful post.

In San Luis Potosi, Mourino gave a speech detailing the Calderon administration's efforts to combat drug traffickers, kidnappers and other criminals.

Mourino said that Calderon had focused on battling crime when he took office in December 2006.

"It was decided to combat criminal groups with all available power in order to confront them, to reduce them and to fulfill the essential mandate of all authority, which is none other than to guarantee peace, tranquility and security for its citizens," Mourino said in his speech.

Calderon has unleashed federal police and soldiers in states across Mexico and tightened controls on money laundering and corruption among local and municipal police forces, whom drug traffickers have infiltrated.

The effort has resulted in widespread carnage, with more than 3,000 deaths this year.

At the site of Tuesday's crash, taxi driver Raymundo Bernal, 28, described the scene he witnessed to Notimex.

"I heard a strong roar and then saw four people who were burning and asking for help while the rest ran and the tops of trees were burning," Bernal told the news agency.

"The ambulances took 10 minutes to arrive, but several of the people who were burning were not moving, and what followed were moments of panic and confusion."

More than 100 federal police secured the area, while the military took control of the airport at San Luis Potosi, according to Notimex."

[Bokkum]

Aircraft involved was LJ45 XC-VMC (c/n 45-028)
Some more info: http://aviation-safety.net/database/rec ... 20081104-0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;