(Reuters) – A plane carrying four Canadian skydivers was forced to make an emergency landing on a beach in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday, resulting in the death of a 62-year-old man who was on the beach at the time. The state civil defense’s office confirmed the incident.
The plane had to land on a populated section of Bacocho beach in the popular Pacific resort town of Puerto Escondido, the office said in a statement. The victim’s wife, who had been on the beach alongside him, was unharmed.
Footage from Puerto Global showed the damaged aircraft on the beach after crashing into what was described as a turtle rescue center. The civil defense statement did not provide additional details on the landing or the identities of those involved.
No one else on the beach was injured, according to the statement, which stated that investigations were ongoing. Those who had been on the aircraft, including the four Canadian skydivers aged between 35 and 60 and a 40-year-old Mexican man, were removed from the plane and taken for medical treatment.
The statement added that they were in stable condition. State Governor Salomon Jara said in a post on X that resources were being mobilized to help the injured individuals who had been on the plane.
“To the family of the person who died, we will provide all the necessary support and accompany them in the face of their irreparable loss,” he said.
(Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Toby Chopra)
