Six Dead After Mexican Medical Transport Plane Plunges Into Galveston Bay in Heavy Fog

Authorities say a Mexican Navy King Air carrying eight people—including a pediatric burn patient en route to Shriners Children’s Hospital—crashed into Galveston Bay Monday afternoon amid dense coastal fog. Two survivors were pulled from the wreckage as Texas DPS, the Coast Guard, and local agencies launched a large‑scale rescue and recovery operation.

According to the Mexican Consulate in Houston, six people died as the Mexican Navy medical aircraft crashed into Gavleston Bay. The dead included all four naval crew members, a patient, and a doctor, Fox 26 Houston reported.

Consular officials said a companion of the patient and a nurse survived the crash.

KHOU, CBS 11, reports that fast-acting residents of nearby communities were able to pull the survivors from the water of Galveston Bay.

One of the survivors is described as a woman who was trapped in the wreckage of the aircraft.

The Mexican Navy Beechcraft King Air 350 crashed while attempting to land in zero visibility fog at Galveston’s Scholes International Airport on Monday afternoon. The aircraft was assigned to transport a child burn patient to Shriners’ Children’s Hospital in Galveston.

The flight departed from Mérida, Mexico, for the flight to Galveston. Initial reports attributed the dense fog as a contributing factor in the fatal crash. The National Transportation Safety Board and Texas Department of Public Safety will conduct a full investigation into the crash.

According to KPRC, NBC2, in Houston, the following people are identified as being among the dead or presumed dead:

Members of the Mexican Navy who died:

• Lieutenant A.N. P.A. Víctor Rafael Pérez Hernández.
• Lieutenant S.S.N. Juan Iván Zaragoza Flores.
• Marinero A.N. E. Av. Guadalupe Flores Barranco.

Missing (presumed deceased):

• Lieutenant A.N. P.A. Luis Enrique Castillo Terrones.

Passengers who died:

• Federico Efraín Ramírez Cruz (Patient).
• Juan Alfonso Adame González (Doctor).

Survivors are listed as:

• Julia Aracelis Cruz Vera (Companion)
• Miriam de Jesús Rosas Mancilla (Nurse).

The flight was reported to have been coordinated by the Michou y Mau Foundation, which assists in transporting patients in need of specialized care.