Before sunrise Friday, five caskets carrying victims of a Dec. 22 plane crash were escorted across Galveston as part of a coordinated effort to return the remains of Mexican Navy personnel and a civilian doctor to their families in Mexico.
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In the early hours of Friday, workers transported five caskets containing the remains of four Mexican Navy sailors and a civilian doctor, who lost their lives in a plane crash on December 22, through Galveston before flying them to Mexico City. This marked a poignant moment in the process of returning the victims to their hometowns and families.
The early-morning procession commenced at Carnes Funeral Home, where Rev. Mario Gutierrez conducted a prayer service at 5:30 a.m. Gutierrez, serving as a funeral director at the establishment, provided solace to families, staff, and first responders involved in the repatriation efforts.
In a poignant reflection on Psalms 23:4, Gutierrez characterized the moment as an essential journey through the depths of grief. “It is a valley that we will all have to traverse eventually to reach the other side,” he stated.
Tragedy struck as a Mexican Navy Beechcraft King Air 350i met with disaster, crashing in heavy fog during its approach to Scholes International Airport, resulting in the loss of lives.
An aircraft was on a mission to transport two-year-old burn patient Federico Efraín Ramírez Cruz to Shriners Children’s Texas. Tragically, six individuals on board lost their lives, among them a child. The deceased include Lt. Víctor Rafael Pérez Hernández, Lt. Juan Iván Zaragoza Flores, Lt. Luis Enrique Castillo Terrones, Guadalupe Flores Barranco, and civilian doctor Dr. Juan Alfonso Adame González.
In the aftermath of the crash, two individuals emerged as survivors: Julia Aracelis Cruz Vera, the mother of the child, and nurse Miriam de Jesús Rosas Mancilla.
Gutierrez took the lead in the motorcade, with five hearses transporting the caskets across the island. The procession was accompanied by escorts from the Galveston County Sheriff's Office and local constables, with support from the Galveston Police Department.
Other funeral homes, such as Carnes Brothers Funeral Home in Galveston and Compean Funeral Home in Houston, contributed additional hearses. Mexican naval officers at Scholes International Airport received the caskets and promptly transferred them to a Mexican naval aircraft, which took off around 8 a.m. “It required the collective effort of many,” Gutierrez stated.
Gutierrez noted that the holiday season, language requirements for official documents, and the differing funeral timelines between the U.S. and Mexico's complicated coordination. He collaborated extensively with the Mexican consulate in Houston, the Mexican Navy, law enforcement agencies, and funeral home personnel to finalize the arrangements.
The ages of the sailors, ranging from 33 to 35, rendered the tragedy particularly poignant. “They represented the pinnacle of their nation,” Gutierrez stated. “They were all so young.”
Cruz Vera continues to receive treatment at John Sealy Hospital. The remains of her son will remain at the funeral home as she undergoes treatment, with consular officials and naval officers providing assistance to the family regarding the next steps.
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