Gov't minister among 8 dead in plane crash

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Eight people, including Mexican Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mourino, were confirmed dead in a Mexico City Learjet 25 crash, President Felipe Calderon said.

Calderon, addressing the nation on television late Tuesday, said former Deputy Attorney General Josi Luis Santiago Vasconcelos and Miguel Monterubio Cubas, Mexico's director of social communication, also died when their small jet crashed in a central part of the city, CNN reported.

Forty people on the ground were injured in the fiery crash, government spokesman Marcelo Ebrard told reporters, adding that all of the fatalities were passengers and crew from the plane.

Calderon, who is engaged in a high-stakes struggle against organized drug gangs in Mexico, said the cause of the crash would be investigated, adding, "My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and I offer my support during this time."

The Learjet was traveling from San Luis Potosi to Mexico City, Calderon said.