Cozumel, Q. R. — A small air taxi that left Playa del Carmen bound for Cozumel crashed. The plane was nearing the island when it took a nosedive into the sea early Saturday.
Nearby witnesses watched as the plane took a nosedive into the sea and slowly sank. A rescue boat was sent to the site.
The accident happened around 11:30 Saturday morning approximately 400 meters from the island. The company plane went down off Playa Casitas near where a group of military divers were conducting exercises.
The moment the plane went down, divers rushed out to save those on board. According to Cozumel Civil Protection Director Rafael Tenorio Pizano, only the pilot was on board at the time of the accident. He was rescued alive.
A boat met the dive team and transferred the pilot and divers to a nearby dock. The pilot was treated for minor abrasions.
Tenorio Pizano says rescue efforts are currently underway by the company that owns the plane to lift it to the surface and remove it from the sea. He says engine failure is believed to be the cause of the crash.
