Drug plane crashes in Honduras

Honduras, Jul 4: Honduran police say a plane carrying a load of cocaine has crashed in eastern Honduras, killing at least one person on board.





Authorities say the twin-engine aircraft from Colombia crashed Tuesday while being chased by government helicopters and airplanes.

Security Ministry spokesman Hector Ivan Mejia says one pilot died and the other was badly injured. Officials say 1,300 pounds (600 kilograms) of cocaine were found on board, most of it burned in the accident.

Honduras is a major transshipment point for cocaine heading from South America to the United States. A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent shot and killed a suspected drug trafficker during a raid in a remote northern area of Honduras last month and a U.S.-assisted government raid in May killed four people.