Waves pounded the wreckage as emergency workers fought wind and rain, pulling victims from the water under fading light. Among them was Aurelio Martínez, the beloved Garifuna musician whose songs carried the soul of a people. Two children, a French traveler, and a U.S. passenger were also confirmed among the dead, turning a routine island hop into an international tragedy.

Just one kilometer from Roatán’s airport, the tourist paradise became a scene of sirens and sobbing relatives. Fire chief Franklin Borjas described the relentless weather that hampered divers and rescuers still searching for the final missing victim. President Xiomara Castro activated the Emergency Operations Committee, ordering nonstop efforts and opening hospitals in San Pedro Sula and La Ceiba to treat survivors. As the Garifuna community and an entire nation mourn, Roatán’s shoreline now holds a silence that even the sea cannot drown.