• Source:JND
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A Guatemalan plane that was taking part in a cross-border pest control campaign crashed in southern Mexico on Friday, killing all three people on board, officials said. The plane, part of an emergency mission to control an outbreak of screwworm affecting cattle, crashed near Pavencul in Chiapas state, near the border with Guatemala. The victims are two Guatemalan pilots and one Mexican agronomist who were part of a collaborative Mexico-US project seeking to release sterile screwworm flies to stem the parasitic outbreak. The L-410 aircraft, registered as TG-TJG, had taken off from Tapachula International Airport at 8:14 a.m. local time and was reportedly conducting its regular five-hour flight when it crashed.

Videos at the crash site reveal the aircraft on fire with dense smoke emanating from the debris and rescue workers on spot. Mexico's Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) launched an inquiry into why the aircraft crashed. Authorities have not dismissed mechanical failure or terrain issues within the mountainous area close to Motozintla.

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Screwworm Concerns Across Mexico

The tragic crash comes amid rising tensions between Mexico and the United States over the screwworm outbreak, a deadly parasitic infestation that affects warm-blooded animals, including humans. The United States had halted cattle imports from Mexico last month after they detected evidence of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly in the livestock. The fly's larvae consume animal flesh, which results in severe wounds that can be fatal if left untreated. The binational program for the release of sterile male flies is an internationally recognised technique to stop the pest's breeding cycle.

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President Claudia Sheinbaum labelled the US import ban "unfair" on Friday and announced that American experts were already in Mexico evaluating Mexican containment measures. “We are taking every possible measure to control the outbreak. This tragic incident only underscores the urgency of our mission,” she said. The crash has also revived focus on tensions in operations. In April, the Trump administration claimed that Mexico was limiting US-contracted planes to operate only six days a week and charging them high import tariffs for aviation equipment utilised in the program. Officials said the downed aircraft had been operating out of Tapachula International Airport since May 28, conducting daily flights over the affected region. Its purpose was aerial discharge of sterile flies over distant cattle-grazing areas to assist in containing the infestation. The plane's last flight concluded in disaster barely a week after the campaign was ramped up amid US pressure.

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