 A helicopter carrying the Cabinet minister in charge of Mexico's federal police and eight others crashed in cloud-shrouded mountains outside Mexico City on Wednesday, killing everyone on board, President Vicente Fox said. The burned wreckage of the Bell helicopter was found in a mountainous, wooded area about 20 miles outside Mexico City several hours after it was reported missing.
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The aircraft was carrying Public Safety Secretary Ramon Martin Huerta — a trusted Fox ally — Federal Preventive Police Chief Tomas Valencia, five other passengers and a crew of two. It had taken off from a military base in Mexico City and was headed to a ceremony at the maximum-security La Palma prison, 35 miles west of Mexico City, when it was crashed in mountains surrounded by dense clouds. "They all died in the line of duty," Fox said in a televised address, his voice cracking with emotion. "They are heroes ... I have lost not just a co-worker, but a close friend, Ramon." |