GALVESTON, United States — At least five people were killed on Monday, December 22, 2025, after a Mexican Navy aircraft crashed in foggy conditions near Galveston, Texas, while conducting a medical evacuation mission for a child with severe burns, authorities said.
Flight data from the tracking website Flight Radar showed that the aircraft was last detected at 3:01 p.m. local time over Galveston Bay, close to Scholes International Airport.
The plane was operating on behalf of the Michou y Mau Foundation, a Mexican charity that provides specialised treatment for children with serious burn injuries.
Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy said in a statement that one person remains missing, while two others were rescued alive following the crash.
Video footage shared with the Associated Press showed debris from the aircraft floating in the water as police officers and bystanders entered the bay to search the wreckage.
Sky Decker, a local yacht captain who assisted emergency responders, said he transported two police officers to the crash site and entered the water himself, where he discovered a woman trapped inside the submerged aircraft.
“I couldn’t believe,” Mr Decker said. “She had maybe three inches of air gap to breathe in. And there was jet fuel in there mixed with the water, fumes real bad. She was really fighting for her life.”
Earlier on Monday, the Mexican Navy said search and rescue operations were under way in coordination with the United States Coast Guard.
Video recorded near Scholes International Airport showed emergency teams, including divers, working in heavy fog as the operation continued.
In a statement posted on X, the Michou y Mau Foundation expressed sympathy for those affected by the crash. “Our deepest condolences to the families of the victims of this tragedy,” the organisation said.
Authorities have not yet released further details on the cause of the crash.
