The only fatalities resulting from the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Mexico on Friday were 13 people on the ground hit by a crashing military Blackhawk helicopter on Saturday. The helicopter was carrying government officials surveying the damage in Santiago Jamiltepec in Oaxaca state in southern Mexico when it crashed while attempting to land in a vacant lot. It landed on top of a van and the crash also injured 15 people, who were among a group of people who spent the night outside after the quake. They were apparently waiting for the helicopter.
The aircraft was carrying Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete and Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat. No one on the helicopter was seriously injured. Photos from the scene showed the helicopter on its side with a van crushed underneath it. The aircraft had reportedly touched down in the landing area marked out by a perimeter of vehicles when it slid sideways and rolled onto the van.
