Mexico interior minister killed in helicopter crash
Baku, November 12 (AZERTAC). Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora died Friday when his helicopter crashed outside Mexico City.
Blake Mora was found dead along with seven others when searchers located their fallen aircraft, which had not been heard from for more than an hour.
President Felipe Calderon said the crash could have been caused by bad visibility. Some media reports said the flight encountered fog. A recent cold front has at times draped the capital region in clouds, rain and fog.
Blake Mora is the second interior minister under Calderon to die in an air crash. Juan Camilo Mourino was killed when his plane went down in Mexico City in November 2008. Officials said the doomed helicopter, which belonged to the presidential guard, was bound for Cuernavaca, south of Mexico City, where Blake Mora was to meet with judicial officials from various states.
The list of victims also included the deputy interior minister for legal affairs, Felipe Zamora Castro and ministry spokesman Jose Alfredo Garcia Medina.
The crash brought numerous messages of condolence, including from such groups as Amnesty International, which has often criticized Calderon`s anti-crime strategy.
Calderon cancelled a trip to Hawaii, where he was to attend a summit of North American leaders. Congress observed a moment of silence. A funeral is planned for Saturday.
Calderon said cloudy conditions along the flight path pointed to a possible weather-related accident. In an apparent effort to stem speculation of foul play, he said the helicopter was closely protected on the ground by the presidential guard and had been recently serviced.
Televised images showed debris scattered in a linear pattern across a sloping field. The wreckage appeared largely confined to one area, a possible sign the craft was intact when it hit. Media reports said the aircraft, which they identified as a Puma, dated to the 1980s.
While authorities ruled that their Learjet 45 went down after being caught in turbulence caused by a larger plane, many Mexicans remained convinced the 2008 crash was the work of assassins, perhaps drug lords.
In Mexico`s centralized system, the interior minister holds a sprawling and powerful portfolio, from overseeing immigration and casinos to responding to natural disasters and supervising religious affairs.
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