Lake Atitlán helicopter crash leaves two dead in Guatemala

An Airbus Helicopters EC130 (registration TG-GUH) crashed into Lake Atitlán near Panajachel, Guatemala, on Thursday, October 8, 2026. The aircraft had departed La Aurora International Airport and was en route to a hotel in the northern part of the lake when the accident occurred.

Of the seven people on board, five survivors were rescued alive, including Andrea Lozano Ardón de Sittenfeld, Diego Díaz, César Enrique Morales Catú, Caterin Victoria Chay Carrillo, and Sandra Natali Santizo Romero. The two missing individuals, identified as pilot Jorge Rodolfo Maldonado and passenger Pablo José Polanco Agustín, were later located by rescue teams.

Specialized “Hombres Rana” divers from the Bomberos Voluntarios, supported by the Guatemalan Army's Naval Base, used underwater drones and sonar to locate the wreckage. The bodies of the two missing occupants were recovered from inside the helicopter's cabin. The Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC) has launched an investigation to determine if the crash was caused by mechanical failure or weather conditions.