The President of Honduras had to be rescued after the helicopter she was in had to land in the middle of the jungle – bad weather put the chopper in a tricky position
Honduras: President’s helicopter forced to make emergency landing in jungle
The President of Honduras made a lucky escape after her helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing.
The Bell 407 chopper Xiomara Castro was in an area of dense fog that limited visibility and the pilot chose to make a potentially hazardous emergency landing in the mountainous region of Santa Cruz de Yojoa, northwest of the capital of Tegucigalpa. Ms Castro, 65, was travelling to Tegucigalpa from the city of San Pedro Sula when the incident occurred.
After the landing was successfully made, police officers met the president who then escorted her to safety through the jungle before she continued her journey by car. “We couldn’t continue or return so we had to make an emergency landing,” said Ms Castro following the ordeal. “We are all doing very well.”
“Ms Castro and her entourage are in optimal condition and out of danger”, the Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Enrique Reina confirmed. The Honduran Civil Aeronautics Agency explained that the pilot carried out a “coordinated landing” due to the adverse weather conditions. Since Monday, the northern region of Honduras has been affected by a cold front that brought heavy rains and problematic flight conditions, What’s The Jam reported.
Last week, Castro confirmed that her government has reached an agreement with President Trump’s administration to extend an extradition treaty that was due to expire on 28 February. In August last year, she stated that she planned to let the treaty expire after accusing the US of plotting a coup against her government and the armed forces.
But she has since reversed her position after President Donald Trump took office. “I announce that I have reached an agreement with the new American administration so that the extradition treaty will continue with the necessary safeguards for the state of Honduras,” Castro wrote in a post on X.
On Tuesday, foreign minister Reina said the extradition treaty was part of direct talks with the White House, in which the governments discussed five key issues: migration, military agreements, free trade agreements, investment in trade infrastructure in Honduras and extradition.
It wasn’t immediately clear what, if anything, Honduras would get from the agreement. Reina said that the extradition treaty would include “important, normal safeguards,” namely that cases of extradition would not be politicized in any way and based on legal factors.
Reina said Tuesday the latest decision was important to ensure the democratic integrity of the country’s upcoming elections, a process in which the Honduran military is a guarantor. We are not here to favour politicians or criminals, but, if in any way, the extradition treaty is used to destabilize the government or elections through an attack on the armed forces, that does concern us,” he said.