At Least 9 Cuban Pastors and Wives Killed in Devastating Plane Crash - CBN News Mundo Cristiano

At Least 9 Cuban Pastors and Wives Killed in Devastating Plane Crash

05-18-2018

CBN News Mundo Cristiano

A passenger plane crashed Friday near Havana, Cuba, killing more than 100 people including 

18 Christian leaders - pastors and their wives.

CBN News' Spanish-language division Mundo Cristiano has confirmed through the Council of 

Churches of Cuba that the evangelical leaders were from the Nazarene Church. They were traveling

back to eastern Cuba, after having participated in a spiritual retreat.

"They were leaving an event at the El Nazareno evangelical seminary and were returning to their 

province in the eastern region," Maite Quesada of the Council of Churches of Cuba told CBN News.

The director of the region of the Church of the Nazarene of Mesoamerica, Carlos Sáenz, also 

confirmed the news of the death of the pastors.

"Let the whole family of the Church of the Nazarene join in prayer on behalf of our brothers and 

sisters," Saenz asked.

The Boeing 737 commercial aircraft, rented from the Mexican firm Global Air, owner of Aerolíneas 

Damojh, crashed minutes after taking off from the José Martí International Airport, in Havana, 

heading towards the city of Holguín at the eastern end of the island.

The authorities state that there are three surviving women, hospitalized and in critical condition.

"It seems that there are a high number of victims," said Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel hours 

earlier, who visited the site of the incident, where a huge plume of smoke was raised, according 

to El País.

The president has said that the possibility of survivors is not promising.

"On behalf of the Cuban government and the (communist) Party, we regret the fact, and we join 

in the condolences of the families," the president added.