Guatemalan minister killed in helicopter crash

This is the stable version, checked on 28 August 2008. Template changes await review.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Vinicio Gómez, the Guatemalan Interior Minister and Édgar Hernández Umaña, the deputy Interior Minister, were yesterday killed in a helicopter crash, according to government officials. The helicopter lost contact at 19:08 UTC yesterday, and as a result, this is believed to be the time that the accident occurred.

A spokesperson for the Guatemalan government said that the accident was caused by bad weather. They also stated, one their official website, that the incident occurred at a point 42 miles away from La Aurora International Airport, the country's major international airport.

A spokesperson for the Guatemalan government highlighted the official response to the events. "The government is distraught and regrets the death of a key minister, who had done good work in a few months in office," he said.

"The Mexican government is already lending its support. It has put a plane at the president's disposal to take him from Villahermosa to Guatemala tomorrow," continued Fernando Barrillas, the spokesperson.


Sources