\n A 2-year-old child is among at least five people who were killed when a Mexican Navy plane carrying medical patients crashed into the waters of Galveston Bay in Texas on Monday afternoon, US Coast Guard officials say.\n <\/p>\n
\n Eight people were on board the plane \u2013 four Naval crew members and four civilians, the Mexican Navy confirmed in a statement. The plane had been transporting burn patients, Galveston County Sheriff Jimmy Fullen told CNN affiliate KPRC<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n One person remains unaccounted for, an official with the Coast Guard\u2019s Heartland sector told CNN. Two were recovered alive in undisclosed conditions.\n <\/p>\n \n Sky Decker, who lives near the site of the crash, told CNN he jumped in to rescue a woman trapped in the debris when divers were not yet on scene.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cEveryone was just waiting for divers to arrive. And I thought if there\u2019s a woman alive in that plane, she\u2019s not going to be alive for long,\u201d he told CNN. \u201cIt was critical to get her out of there.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n Decker worked his way through the wreckage before pulling the woman out alive. \u201cThe woman was surviving by breathing on a pocket of air that was only about 3 inches from the ceiling of the plane,\u201d he said.\n <\/p>\n \n He said he went back through the wreckage and also recovered a man who was already deceased.\n <\/p>\n \n The cause of the crash is being investigated, the Coast Guard said in a statement<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n The aircraft, a small twin turbo plane, took off from M\u00e9rida, the capital of the Mexican state of Yucat\u00e1n, and was headed for Galveston Scholes International Airport, which lies about 50 miles southeast of Houston, according to data from FlightRadar24<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n Mexico\u2019s Navy said the plane was helping with a medical mission in coordination with the Michou and Mau Foundation, which provides emergency transports to children with life-threatening burns to Shriners Children\u2019s hospital in Galveston, according to the nonprofit\u2019s website.\n <\/p>\n \n A statement from Mexico\u2019s Navy shared on X said the plane had an \u201cincident\u201d during its approach to Galveston, but did not elaborate.\n <\/p>\n \n Billy Howell, who works at Galveston Bait and Tackle, told CNN affiliate KTRK<\/a> there was \u201cliterally zero visibility\u201d at the time of the crash, adding it is not uncommon near the island, where foggy conditions can roll in within minutes.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cAs the sea fog goes and the wind blows and changes directions, the fog does get a lot more dense,\u201d Howell said.\n <\/p>\n \n A dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrols were at the scene Monday night, the sheriff\u2019s office said in a social media post<\/a>. A call was received about the crash around 3:17 p.m., according to the Coast Guard.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt looked like it would be impossible for anybody to survive. The plane was almost completely underwater,\u201d Decker told CNN.\n <\/p>\n \n Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are on scene assisting the investigation, the Texas Department of Safety said in a post<\/a> on X.\n <\/p>\n \n Mexico\u2019s Navy said in a post on social media it extends \u201cits deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.\u201d It said it is coordinating with the Mexican Consulate in Houston. CNN has reached out for more information.\n <\/p>\n