Cuban Government Investigating Mexican Airline After Deadly Crash

Just days after Friday’s plane crash in Cuba left 110 people dead, the Mexican charter plane company that operated the flight has come under scrutiny for previous safety complaints.

The carrier, known as Damojh Aerolíneas, is facing a major investigation from the Mexican government following evidence provided by former pilots accusing the airline of poor maintenance practices, according to airline-disaster-idUSKCN1IL0V7″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”>Reuters.com.

Of the 110 victims, six were the crew members of the Damojh airline, but officials from the carrier declined to comment on the situation. Mexico’s Directorate General of Civil Aeronautics launched an official investigation into the incident but will allow the charter company to continue flying its two other planes until the audit is completed.

Investigators and emergency personnel continued to comb through wreckage Sunday looking for the plane’s second black box containing mechanical data. The cockpit voice recorder was discovered Saturday, and officials from Boeing and Mexico were expected to join the investigation.

The bodies of the passengers who died are now being transported home, with the first of the funerals taking place Sunday in the Holguin province. Of the 105 passengers who died, 99 were from Cuba, two were from Argentina, two Sahrawi residents in Cuba and one Mexican.

The aging Boeing 737 plane crashed Friday in the worst aviation accident in Cuba since 1989. The crash happened a short time after takeoff from Jose Marti International Airport in Havana to Holguin.

Three women survived the crash and are in critical condition. The Cuban government and people said they are sending prayers and visiting the hospital regularly.