Mexico says jet crash that killed top drug-fighter likely accident

Source: Agencies  |   2008-11-6  |     ONLINE EDITION

A CONVERSATION between pilots and the control tower gave no hint that anything was wrong moments before a plane carrying Mexico's second-most-powerful official suddenly dived into rush-hour traffic.

The death of Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mourino was a serious setback for Mexico's US-backed fight against drug smuggling. He was President Felipe Calderon's most trusted confidante as the government pursues a hardline strategy that has brought down top drug kingpins but has fueled brutal violence in Mexico.

Authorities said Wednesday that the crash, which killed 14 people in all, was mostly likely an accident. But they brought in US and British investigators to help them rule out the possibility of an attack.

But the lack of evidence didn't stop Mexicans from blaming drug cartels, which have killed several top officials in recent months. That speculation contributed to a 1.3 percent drop of Mexico's peso Wednesday, according to Meg Browne, senior currency strategist with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. in New York.

Officials played a recording of the final conversation between the control tower and the flight crew of the government Learjet 45, which was on an approach to Mexico City's airport. They calmly discussed radio frequencies and speed until the tape went silent, just as radar lost the plane's altitude reading.

Mexico City Attorney General Miguel Angel Mancera said all nine people aboard the plane and five on the ground were killed when the government jet slammed into a major avenue in the posh Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood, igniting a fireball that lit up the evening sky. Dozens of cars caught fire and at least 40 people were injured, including a Frenchman and a Venezuelan.

US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called Mourino a "a good friend and close counterpart" and lamented the loss of "a courageous and strong partner in the fight against dangerous criminal groups."