Robbers Die in Plane Crash on Belize’s Placencia Peninsula

Robbers dying in a plane crash: it seems more like the plot of an action movie than a crime that would be carried out on Belize’s Placencia peninsula. Except, there was no silver screen, and the death of the pilot and passenger were real.  It happened just before dawn, and by seven o’clock, Police and Fire officials were responding to the area near the Thunderbird Marina at mile 21 on the Placencia Road.  We join Reporter Vejea Alvarez for the story.

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Tonight, there are more questions than answers after two robbers in a stolen Maya Island Air aircraft crashed and burned on the Placencia Road. Four armed bandits stormed the Placencia Municipal Airport just after four o’clock and tied up its security guard. Two of the men alighted a Cessna Carvana and took off. But within minutes, the plane clipped a nearby lamppost and went crashing down. Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero says not much is known but the two men inside died on impact.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Officer Commanding Eastern Division: “Police are currently conducting an investigation. The area is bein searched at this time for evidence. So far recovered are two human remains, those have been extracted and have been taken to the morgue for a post mortem examination. We cannot confirm how they arrived that is a part of the investigation. All we have right now is that they approached the security guard and tied him up.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: The crash led to a power outage for residents in the area who were awakened by loud bangs and huge flames.

Resident: “We just heard this big boom first and as that boom went off first then the current went right away, right after the big boom. So we jumped off the bed and me and my daughter were watching TV so I told her I said “What is that.” because we didn’t see any lightning. We jumped off the bed and we went by the window and then it was already dark because the current had gone and she flashed her phone through the window and she said “Mommy it’s a fire.” So we came in the hall and went into the other room where you can see clearly and it was such a huge fire and so the fire is going off you just hear these big “booms” like all these things are exploding. A lot of explosions with it. It was so huge.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Not much is known about how the aircraft was removed and stolen but Nigel Carter, Director of Civil Aviation, says that the first step in their investigation is identifying the aircraft. 

Nigel Carter, Director of Civil Aviation: “It wasn’t an actual civil aviation flight or a commercial flight and as such we yield to the police. We have certain agreements with the police so that in the instance of situations where it falls outside of normal operations we support the police in the investigation activities. We don’t have any surety that the aircraft did belong to them we suppose that it is one of their aircraft. We know that the aircraft is not with the company right now and so there’s a fair supposition that it’s one of their aircraft but again until you see the name plates on the aircraft then you’ll be able to say with surety that that was their aircraft.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: Carter further explained that once the plane is identified, its wreckage will be examined to extract any useful information. 

Nigel Carter, Director of Civil Aviation: “If there is any information that is onboard that may be on onboard equipment that we can retrieve then we’ll be able to retrieve some of that information and assist them with that.”

Reporter: How easily these people were able to hijack this aircraft. 

Nigel Carter, Director of Civil Aviation: “I wouldn’t want to speculate or comment right now.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News: A motive behind the brazen robbery and who did it, are yet to be ascertained but reports suggest the dead robbers are South America nationals. ACP Romero explained that police are looking into several angles including whether the plane was targeted by narco-traffickers.

ACP Hilberto Romero, Officer Commanding Eastern Division:  “We are looking at it from all angles. Several items were recovered from the remains of the aircraft and those are being analyzed and we’ll have a further report as to what all was found on the aircraft.”

Reporter: From what you all know so far are the pilots Belizean ? 

ACP Hilberto Romero, Officer Commanding Eastern Division:  “We do not know at this time. We do not know their identities as yet.”

Vejea Alvarez, Love News.