Plane Carrying Burn Patients Crashes, Killing 5 Including Toddler

A medical mercy flight turned into a heartbreaking disaster Monday when a Mexican Navy aircraft carrying burn patients plunged into Galveston Bay, killing at least five people — including a two-year-old child.

The plane went down around 3:17 p.m. near the Galveston Causeway, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The aircraft, part of a humanitarian mission for Mexico’s Michou y Mau Foundation — which helps children with severe burns — was en route to Texas for medical care when it vanished from radar amid heavy fog.

“Visibility was terrible,” said professional yacht captain Sky Decker, who lives about a mile away and rushed to the scene in his boat. “When I got there, the plane was almost fully submerged. You could smell the jet fuel in the air. It was chaos.”

Decker told CNN he rescued a woman trapped under debris in the wreckage. “She had maybe three inches of air to breathe,” he said. “There was fuel and water mixing around her — she was fighting for her life.”

Mexican authorities confirmed eight people were aboard — four Navy personnel and four civilians, including the toddler. Two people survived. One remains missing.

The Michou y Mau Foundation said the aircraft was transporting young burn victims for treatment in the United States, calling the crash “a devastating loss for families and for our mission.”

In a statement posted to Facebook, the foundation wrote in Spanish, “We express our deep solidarity with the families. We honor their memory and reaffirm our commitment to the care and dignity of children who suffer burns.”

Residents along the coast described hearing a low rumble followed by silence. “It was like the sound just disappeared into the fog,” said Galveston local Maria López, who watched rescue boats swarm the bay minutes later.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Mexican Navy, and Texas authorities have launched a joint investigation, while the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to lead the probe into the cause of the crash.

“This is a tragic reminder of how dangerous even humanitarian missions can be,” said aviation analyst Mark Rosenberg. “Low visibility and pressure to complete medical flights often create deadly conditions.”

The wreckage was found about a mile off the coast, broken into several pieces. Divers continued searching the area late into the night.

The names of those killed have not been released. Officials confirmed that one of the civilian victims was a child under three years old. “It’s heartbreaking,” said Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset. “They were coming here for help — not tragedy.”

As investigators comb through debris, the Michou y Mau Foundation vowed to continue its mission despite the loss. “This was a flight of hope,” their statement read. “We will not let this tragedy extinguish that hope.”

Reporting sources: Associated Press, CNN, BBC, and U.S. Coast Guard Heartland.