A Mexican female politician was killed in a tragic helicopter crash alongside several prominent politicians, just ten days after she took office. Her husband, a federal senator, is among those who also died in the crash, yesterday.
45-year-old Martha Erika Alonso and her husband, Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, were killed in when a helicopter carrying them and other National Action Party (PAN) members crashed in a field near the town of Santa María Coronango, half an hour from the city of Puebla.
Martha just took office as Governer of Puebla on 14 Dec. Her husband of 14 years was the Governor of the city before she was and served as Governor of Puebla from 2011 to 2017. After he became a federal senator, Martha contested the election and became the first female governor of the city ever and the seventh female governor in Mexican history.
While investigators are still trying to establish the cause of the helicopter crash, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed that Martha and Rafael were killed in the crash.
Former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto also paid tribute to the couple on social media and sent his thoughts and prayers to their family. PAN President Marko Cortes added in a statement, “May they rest in peace; (the PAN) is in mourning.”