San Salvador, El Salvador, Jun 3, 2008 / 11:07 am
Archbishop Fernando Saenz Lacalle of San Salvador offered his prayers this week for the victims of the plane crash last Friday in Honduras, asking God to bring comfort to their families.
Archbishop Lacalle said he was praying “for the eternal rest of those who died in the accident in Honduras,” that “God our Lord will receive them in His heart,” and for the families, that they would be able to accept what happened and be strengthened by God.
He also said the president of Honduras, Manuel Zelaya, has taken “appropriate and radical measures to prevent landings at this airport” and to instead divert flights to the military base at Palmerola.
On May 30, a TACA flight from El Salvador carrying 124 passengers and 11 crew members skidded off the runway at the airport in Toncontin onto a busy highway, breaking up into three pieces and smashing cars.
Five people died in the accident, including the pilot, Salvadoran Cesar D’Antonio, the president of the Central American Bank of Economic Integration, Nicaraguan Harry Brautigam, the wife of Brazil’s ambassador to Honduras, Jean Chantal Neele. In addition, Josue Rolando Aguilar and Gustavo Trochez Unas, both from Honduras, were also killed. Some 60 passengers were wounded.