Remains of 6 people killed in Philadelphia plane crash returning to Mexico
Remains of the six Mexican citizens aboard the medical jet that crashed in Northeast Philadelphia on Jan. 31 are finally being laid to rest.
The Mexican Consulate of Philadelphia early Friday morning held a procession for the remains of the four Jet Rescue Air Ambulance staff members, pediatric patient and mother killed when the Learjet 55 crashed at Roosevelt Boulevard and Cottman Avenue — moments after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia airport.
The crew of Capt. Alan Alejandro Montoya Perales, Copilot Josue de Jesus Juarez Juarez, Dr. Raul Meza Arredondo, Paramedic Rodrigo Lopez Padilla, took off with pediatric patient 11-year-old Valentina Guzman Murillo and her mother, Lizeth Murillo Ozuna, after Guzman Murillo had received weeks of spina bifida treatments at Shriners Children's Philadelphia hospital.
Guzman Murillo and her mother were residents of Ensenada, a Pacific coastal town about 50 miles south of Tijuana in the Baja California state, according to an obituary published by the Compagnola Funeral Home in Philadelphia.
"We confirm that today the remains are being transported to Mexico by the Consul of Mexico in Philadelphia, Carlos Obrador. This early morning, at 3:00 a.m., a procession departed from the consulate to the Philadelphia International Airport," the Mexican Consulate of Philadelphia said in an email.
"Six urns with the remains will be delivered to the loved ones this evening in a private ceremony at the headquarters of the Mexican Foreign Affairs Ministry located in Mexico City," the statement continued.
Though months have passed, the NTSB is still investigating the cause of the crash, but a preliminary report indicated the cockpit voice recorder in the jet likely hadn't recorded audio for the past several years.
The crash sparked several fires, killed one person on the ground and injured several others.
Emergency relief grants were made available for several local businesses impacted by the crash.