The head of state security in central Mexico’s Aguascalientes state was among five people killed in a helicopter crash, according to the state’s governor.
“We deeply regret the death of these five men,” Aguascalientes Governor Teresa Jiménez said at a press conference on Thursday, offering her condolences to the bereaved.
Among those killed in the crash of the Eagle 1 helicopter, which belonged to the Aguascalientes state public security secretariat, is Porfirio Sánchez Mendoza, the Aguascalientes security chief. The other four include the helicopter pilot, a captain and two gunners, according to Jiménez.
Jiménez said investigations into the cause of the incident have begun, but added that “everything points” to an accident and that she would share more details after the investigation is complete.
Jiménez also highlighted the “heroic” actions taken by the pilot who landed the helicopter in an empty place instead of a residential area.
Images from the crash showed the wreckage of the helicopter and police patrol cars smoldering around a grassy area.
In 2018, a military helicopter carrying officials surveying earthquake damage crashed in the southeastern Mexican state of Oaxaca, killing more than a dozen people.
