2024-09-13 06:14:12
El Salvador woke up in mourning on Monday, September 9, when an air tragedy occurred in the Pasaquina district, La Unión Norte, during the night of Sunday, September 8. This tragic accident resulted in the death of the General Commissioner of the National Civil Police, Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, and the commissioners Rómulo Pompilio Romero and Douglas Omar García Funes; also perished, Corporal Abel Antonio Arévalo; and Lieutenants Jonathan Alexander Raymundo Morán and Alexis Alberto Quijano López and, Sub-Sergeant Gerson Ricardo Batres Lucero. In addition, the head of communications of the Security Cabinet, David Heman Cruz Guevara.
At around 7:25 pm on Sunday, a “Breaking News” link was announced on Channel 10 News, reporting that Honduran security elements would hand over the main person involved in the multimillion-dollar embezzlement of COSAVI, Manuel Coto.
In the last broadcast, minutes before this tragic pause in national history, it was journalist David Cruz who indicated that they were at the El Amatillo border crossing, where Coto Barrientos, accused of embezzling millions of dollars, was handed over to Salvadoran justice, having been captured while trying to flee to the United States.
The minutes passed and around 7:40, it was Director Arriaza, accompanied by the commissioners who received and arrested the former manager of Cosavi, to be presented to the media in San Salvador in a press conference organized by the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic, scheduled for 8 p.m.
Under heavy rain, Arriaza Chicas, along with senior police officers, FAES elements and the journalist, traveled in a UH-1H helicopter bound for San Salvador.
The minutes passed, and on social media, local media and users indicated that an aircraft had crashed in the San Eduardo canton, in Pasaquina, La Unión Norte. The uncertainty ended when the military institution confirmed that the UH-1H had crashed.
The tragic accident left nine crew members dead, prompting the opening of an exhaustive investigation to determine its causes, as announced by President Nayib Bukele.
During Sunday night and early morning, Rescue Commands, teams from the Medical Emergency System, members of the PNC and the Armed Forces were mobilized, in the hope of finding survivors, something that did not happen, since the inaccessibility and the complicated terrain, plus the weather conditions complicated the rescue maneuvers of the institutions.
At around 7 a.m. on Monday, the death of the nine crew members was confirmed, along with their rescue and subsequent transfer to forensic medicine and other forensic instances.
The President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, commemorated the life and work of Commissioner General Mauricio Antonio Arriaza Chicas and other members of the police corporation, the Lieutenants and the communicator.
At around three in the afternoon, it was President Bukele himself who declared National Mourning, to commemorate the funeral of these heroes who died fulfilling their duty.
The hours passed on Monday, state institutions, consulates and embassies all flew their flags at half-mast, in mourning for three days.
When night fell, each body was handed over to its family, who paid tribute with memories and anecdotes, but with a lump in their throats and imminent sadness. The body of the Commissioner General arrived at his mother’s home in Las Chinamas, while that of David Cruz was received by his father and his wife in his native Tecapán, Usulután.
On Tuesday morning, amid tears and memories, the coffins were transported to the capital, where a funeral chapel would be erected in his honor at the former Presidential House in San Jacinto, San Salvador Centro.
Posthumous signs of affection and respect were present in each of the bouquets and wreaths. When the clock struck 3 in the afternoon, the different brigades of the Armed Forces and the different divisions of the PNC paid tribute to the eight heroes.
Cabinet officials, deputies and foreign diplomatic representatives were the first to tour the grounds, offering their message of solidarity to the grieving families.
At around 8 p.m., it was the President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, accompanied by the First Lady Gabriela de Bukele, who were present in the procession.
Recalling the exploits of the elements fallen in the line of duty, President Bukele also recalled how these heroes contributed to the transformation of the country under his administration.
During the night, and after the withdrawal of the Presidential family, friends, relatives and acquaintances paid tribute to the martyrs.