10 Killed, Including 3 Children, After Private Jet Crashes During Emergency Landing on Soccer Field

Ten people, including three children, were killed after a small private jet crashed in central Mexico, according to local authorities.

The aircraft attempted an emergency landing Monday, Dec. 15, on a soccer field in San Mateo Atenco, about 32 miles west of Mexico City. During the attempt, the jet struck a warehouse and burst into flames, according to reports from The Telegraph, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and the Associated Press.

The jet had departed from Acapulco and was en route to Toluca, the ABC reported.

Officials evacuated the warehouse after the crash because it reportedly stored fuel and gas tanks, said Cristóbal Castañeda, Secretary of Security for the State of Mexico, according to the AP.

San Mateo Atenco Mayor Ana Muñiz told Milenio Televisión that roughly 130 people were evacuated from the surrounding area, the AP reported.

Mexico State Civil Protection Coordinator Adrián Hernández confirmed that 10 people died in the crash, including three minors. He added that only seven bodies had been recovered.

Emergency responders were seen working at an industrial warehouse in San Mateo Atenco on Dec. 15, 2025.

“It spun around like when a fan breaks loose,” local resident Octavio Contreras said, according to the AP. “Then we heard the explosion, the truck even moved and then we saw smoke coming out.”

Images from the scene showed emergency crews near the burned warehouse, shattered windows, and a scorched soccer field.

“In response to a disaster following the crash of a small plane at the intersection of Industria Automotriz and Miguel Aleman, we immediately responded in coordination with Metepec Firefighters, San Mateo Atenco, and Lightning units, applying the appropriate safety protocols,” the Civil Protection Firefighters of Toluca, known as PC Bomberos Toluca, said in a statement posted on Facebook.

They added, “We continue working in solidarity and coordination with state emergency agencies and neighboring municipalities to fully extinguish the fire and protect the population.”

Authorities have launched an investigation into the crash, the AP reported.

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