Mexico minister in crash had received death threats
A Mexican anti-drug minister who died in a helicopter crash last week had received death threats but his death was most likely an accident, the government said on Monday.
Public Security Minister Ramon Martin Huerta, a key figure in the government’s fight against drug traffickers, and eight others were killed last Wednesday when the helicopter carrying them slammed into a fog-shrouded mountain near the capital.
“Yes, he had received death threats, like many other public servants,” presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar told reporters.
He said government officials frequently received anonymous death threats by telephone or letter.
“It’s part of public life to get these kinds of messages sometimes with threats and insults. It’s part of the role of government and we should keep them in perspective,” he said.
Martin Huerta’s helicopter crashed at full speed into a rocky area and burst into flames after the pilot apparently lost visibility, government officials say.
“All the elements in the hands of the authorities indicate that we are talking about an accident,” Aguilar said.
The attorney general said over the weekend that results of a probe into the crash would likely be available in just over a week.
President Vicente Fox’s government has declared war on drug smuggling gangs and has arrested several top traffickers, but the flow of cocaine, heroin and marijuana across the border into the United States has continued.
A feud between rival narcotics mobs has killed more than 1,000 people so far this year.
Source: alertnet.org
Mexico copter crash called accident
All available evidence on Thursday suggested bad weather led to a helicopter crash that killed a Cabinet minister overseeing federal police and his deputy, the president's office announced.
The helicopter carried Public Safety Secretary Ramon Martin Huerta, Federal Preventive Police Commissioner Tomas Valencia, five other passengers and a crew of two. It took off from Mexico City and crashed into a wooded mountainside about 20 miles (30 kilometers) outside Mexico City.
"All the elements that we have at hand, all the experts that were consulted, say that there is sufficient evidence to consider that that we are
Mexico security minister killed in helicopter crash
Mexico's public security minister, a key figure in the war against drug cartels, was killed along with eight others on Wednesday when his helicopter crashed in fog in mountains near the capital.
Rescue workers found the charred wreckage of Ramon Martin Huerta's helicopter six hours after contact was lost early into a flight from the capital to a high-security prison.
In a televised address, President Vicente Fox vowed to push on with his fight against violent gangs running drugs into the United States.
"Today, more than ever, I repeat the commitment of my government and of
New security mininster appointed after helicopter crash in Mexico
Mexican President Vicente Fox on Thursday appointed Rafael Rios as the new public security minister after his predecessor Martin Huerta was killed in a helicopter crash.
Rios is undersecretary for citizen participation and criminal policy in the ministry. He spent most of his career in the National Security and Investigation Center, the government's intelligence institution.
Meanwhile, Tomas Valencia, another top official killed in the crash, will be replaced by Arturo Jimenez as the Federal Police Commander.
The National Human Rights Commission has not announced who is to replace Jose Antonio Bernal, inspector
Mexico's Fox Appoints New Security Minister
Mexican President Vicente Fox has appointed intelligence chief Eduardo Medina Mora as public security minister to replace his predecessor who died in a helicopter crash last week.
Mr. Medina Mora will take the position of Ramon Martin Huerta who died last Wednesday when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed in mountains near the capital. At least seven other people on board were also killed, including Federal Preventive Police chief Tomas Valencia.
Earlier this week, President Fox named General Eduardo Martinez to take over Mr. Valencia's position.
Mexican government officials say all available evidence suggests bad weather
Truck, bus crash kills 38 in Mexico
Thirty-eight people were killed in northwest Mexico when a truck hauling ammonium chloride plowed into a passenger bus, El Universal reported Thursday.
The majority of those killed were burned by the harsh chemical that spilled at the tanker and bus slid down an embankment after impact.
Two dozen women and four children were among those killed.
Four other adults injured in the crash were taken to a local hospital for various injuries.
More: sciencedaily.com
Crash involving bus, gas tanker in western Mexico kills at least 37
A crash involving a gas tanker and a bus killed at least 37 people in the western state of Sinaloa, federal police said Wednesday.
The crash occurred Tuesday evening, near the city of Los Mochis, on a highway linking Mexico City and the border city of Nogales in northern Sinaloa, said a police officer, who wasn't authorized to speak on the record. Four people were injured.
The officer said that the tanker was carrying ammonium chloride, a toxic gas that sickened some of the victims.
A separate crash early Wednesday
Soccer legend Valdano hurt in Mexico copter crash
Retired Argentine soccer great Jorge Valdano suffered minor injuries along with seven others in a helicopter crash in Mexico City on Saturday, police said.
Valdano, who was carried from the crash scene in a neck brace, would likely be discharged from the hospital on Sunday, doctors said.
"Jorge Valdano is conscious and has no injuries that could be considered serious," Carlos Lijtszain, emergency room head at the ABC hospital, told reporters.
The helicopter crashed in a street in the capital's business district, almost hitting a truck, but there were no fatalities. Five other passengers in the
Mexico crash driver 'fell asleep'
The driver of a car which veered off a Mexican road and into a ravine, killing two UK tourists, probably fell asleep at the wheel, an inquest has heard.
A verdict of accidental death was recorded on Rebecca Owen, 22, of Llanfechain, near Welshpool, Powys.
She died of head injuries while on a round-the-world trip in western Mexico along with Chloe Taylor from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who also died.
The inquest heard that driver Carlos Ibarra had been charged with homicide.
Reading from a translated report by the Mexican authorities, Powys coroner Geraint Williams described how the
Bus-Tanker Crash in Mexico Kills 38
Tanker Truck Hauling Toxic Ammonium Choloride Slams Into Bus in Mexico, Killing at Least 38
A tanker truck hauling toxic ammonium chloride slammed into a passenger bus in northwest Mexico, killing 38 people as both vehicles plunged down an embankment, police said Wednesday.
The bus flipped onto its roof in Tuesday night's crash and the tanker spilled it load of 25 tons of ammonium chloride, officials said.
Most of the victims had skin damage caused by chemical burns and authorities were trying to determine if the ammonium chloride contributed to their deaths.
"The majority … had apparently
Small plane crash in Mexico kills pilot, air force co-pilot
A small plane crashed outside the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, killing a civilian pilot and a Mexican Air Force pilot who went along for the ride, authorities and relatives confirmed.
The plane went down Sunday afternoon at El Migote beach near Pie de la Cuesta, just south of Acapulco, killing pilot Ruben Fajardo and Air Force pilot Victor Serrano, said Hector Lara, an agent of the district attorney's office for the nearby city of Coyuca de Benitez.
Fajardo had not wanted to fly on Sunday, but was persuaded by the
