At least 5 people killed in Mexican navy small plane crash near Galveston, Texas

A small Mexican navy plane on a medical mission crashed Monday near Galveston, Texas, killing at least five people, including a 2-year-old, officials said.  

Two people were taken to the hospital, the U.S. Coast Guard said earlier. There was no immediate word on their condition. One passenger, a 27-year-old, was uninjured, the Coast Guard said. It was unclear if that person was one of the two who had been taken to the hospital. One person was still missing as of Monday night, the Mexican navy said.

The Mexican navy said the plane had been carrying eight people: four navy officers and four civilians. The U.S. Coast Guard later told CBS News the plane was capable of carrying eight people, but that it wasn’t actually clear how many were on board.

Two of the passengers were from the nonrofit Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides aid to Mexican children with severe burns.

The crash took place Monday around 3:17 p.m. local time near the base of a causeway near Galveston, along the Texas coast about 50 miles southeast of Houston.

Mexico’s navy said in a statement that the plane was helping with a medical mission and had an accident. It promised to investigate the cause of the crash.

The navy is helping local authorities with the search and rescue operation, it said in a post on X.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were expected to arrive at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on X. DPS Sgt. Steven Woodard told CBS News that life-saving measures were performed at the scene. 

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.

“The incident remains under investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post, adding that the public should avoid the area so emergency responders can work safely.

It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. However, the area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday, a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility. The foggy conditions are expected to persist through Tuesday morning.