Apparently, Mexico cannot get a break from mother nature. After the disastrous earthquakes back in September, which caused over 400 deaths, another earthquake has hit Mexico, this time in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico, leaving no deaths. However, something worse happened later that day, when a chopper Lost Control and killed at least 13 people while injuring 16 more.
What were the damages?
According to Time, the earthquake had a 7.2 magnitude, and the aftershocks made people fear from staying in their own homes. According to Canada Live News, the earthquake tremor shook buildings and houses, and there were 194 aftershocks.
Surprisingly, there were no deaths involved in the earthquake itself. Later that day, a Military Helicopter with high-level officials, like Alfonso Navarrete, a Mexican politician, and Alejandro Murat, Oaxaca state governor, crashed into a site where people, who were too afraid to go back to their houses, were camping for the night. Multiple sources are declaring a different number of fatalities, as the story is still developing, but according to the Los Angeles Times, there were 13 fatalities including three children. Both high-level officials and everyone else on board the chopper did not suffer any serious injuries.
The pilot was just about to land when he lost control of the military helicopter, crashing into the cars where the earthquake survivors were staying.
According to a reporter on board, "...you couldn't see anything, nothing else was heard besides the sounds that iron makes when it scrapes the earth." People in Mexico are questioning why the pilot's superiors let them take the helicopters out so late at night, where it is barely visible.
Statements from people on board
This is a translation from Alfonso Navarrete's tweet: "I deeply regret the death of people who were in the place where the helicopter of the @SEDENAmx in which we traveled the @GovernorAlejandro Murat, collaborators of the @SEGOB_mx and the State Government.
We made a flyby in #PinotepaNacional."
This is a translation from Alejandro Murat tweet, "My condolences and solidarity with the relatives of the people who unfortunately lost their lives as a result of the unfortunate accident that we suffered a few hours ago."
Lamento profundamente el fallecimiento de personas que se encontraban en el lugar donde cayó el helicóptero de la @SEDENAmx en el que viajábamos el Gobernador @alejandromurat, colaboradores de la @SEGOB_mx y del Gobierno estatal. Realizábamos un sobrevuelo en #PinotepaNacional.
— Alfonso Navarrete (@navarreteprida) February 17, 2018
Mis condolencias y solidaridad con los familiares de las personas que desafortunadamente perdieron la vida a raíz del lamentable accidente que sufrimos hace unas horas.
— Alejandro Murat (@alejandromurat) February 17, 2018
The question remains, who is responsible for this accident? Mexico is located between three tectonic plates, the North American plates, the Coco plates and the Pacific Plates.
