Small plane crashes into Tijuana car shop, killing 3

Small plane crashes into Tijuana car shop, killing 3

2011-11-01 19:58:16 GMT+7 (ICT)

TIJUANA, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- Three people were killed on early Monday afternoon when a small plane crashed into a car shop in northern Mexico near the U.S. border with California, officials said on Tuesday.

The accident happened at around 12 p.m. local time some 300 meters (984 feet) from Tijuana International Airport in the Libertad Parte Alta neighborhood of the city. It is just a short distance from the Mexico-U.S. border.

Police said both people on board the aircraft were killed while a person at the car shop was also killed. They were identified as pilot Francisco Zermeño, his 17-year-old daughter Olivia Zermeño Urrea and 40-year-old Adalberto Gonzalez Ochoa who had just arrived at the car shop.

Despite the ground victim, Tijuana Fire Department chief Carlos Martinez said it was 'fortunate' the plane crashed into the car shop and not into a more busy area. "We are not sure if the pilot decided to try to land there, but if it had crashed into one of the houses, a worse tragedy would have occurred," he said.

The crash also caused damage to at least seven vehicles near the car shop. Four of the damaged vehicles were completely burnt, officials said. Mexico's Attorney General's office and the Communication and Transportation Department have launched an investigation.

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