An aircraft carrying eight people crashed into West Galveston Bay on Monday afternoon as per local time. It was approaching Scholes International Airport amid heavy fog, according to city officials cited by The Galveston News. Authorities later confirmed the plane was a Mexican military medical flight.
The crash occurred somewhere west of the Galveston causeway, near bayside waters close to Channel Marker 6, officials said.
According to The Galveston News, the aircraft was carrying two pilots and six passengers, including a pediatric patient in need of specialized burn care. Officials indicated the child was likely being transported to Shriners Children’s in Galveston, which is known for treating pediatric burn victims.
The plane was on its final approach for landing when it went down in the bay.
Emergency crews rush
Multiple agencies responded to reports of the crash, deploying resources across Galveston Bay. The US Coast Guard, Galveston Fire Department, Galveston Police Department, and local marine units responded using both boats and aircraft.
Coast Guard crews coordinated with local responders and launched small boats and search aircraft to comb the waters around Channel Marker 6 and nearby areas.
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Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen confirmed that his office provided boats and dive teams to assist with the response. However, he emphasized that the Galveston Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety are leading the investigation.
County resources were deployed at the request of those agencies and remain on scene to support ongoing search and rescue efforts, Fullen said.
Victims transported to hospital
Crews on scene observed four ambulances traveling to John Sealy Hospital at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Authorities confirmed that one of the victims was a juvenile.
Police scanner traffic indicated that one woman was conscious but suffered a compound fracture to her leg. A man was reported to be receiving CPR, while a third victim was in the process of being extracted from the aircraft.
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Officials cautioned that details regarding the number of victims and their conditions were still being verified.
Weather conditions at the time of the crash were poor. Observations from the National Weather Service showed dense fog and overcast skies over Galveston and surrounding coastal waters, significantly reducing visibility.
The investigation remains active, and authorities have not yet released further details about the aircraft’s origin or the cause of the crash.