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The Mexican navy says the plane crashed in waters off the US state of Texas while conducting a medical transfer.
Published on December 23, 2025
A small Mexican navy plane carrying a medical patient and seven others has crashed off the southern coast of the United States, killing at least five people.
In a statement Monday, the Mexican navy said four of those on board were naval officers and four were civilians, including a child.
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Two people survived the accident, while one person is still missing, according to the statement.
The Mexican Marine Corps said in a statement that it sends “its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.”
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Luke Baker told the Associated Press news agency that at least five people on board had died, but he did not identify which ones.
The cause of the accident remains under investigation.
The Mexican Navy’s statement said the plane had an “accident” during its approach to Galveston, but did not provide further details.
According to flight tracking site Flight Radar, the plane took off from Merida, in the Mexican state of Yucatan, at 18:46 GMT, and was last recorded at 21:01 GMT over Galveston Bay, along the Texas coast, near Scholes International Airport.
The Mexican Navy said the plane was participating in a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transportation for children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children’s Hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit organization’s website.
Teams from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrived at the scene of the accident, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on the social platform X.
An NTSB spokesperson said they were “aware of this accident and are gathering information regarding it.”
The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.
It was not immediately clear whether weather was a factor.
The region has experienced foggy conditions in recent days, according to Cameron Batiste, a meteorologist with the U.S. National Weather Service. He said that around 2:30 p.m. (8:30 p.m. GMT) on Monday, fog appeared with visibility of about 0.8 km.
