Mexican minister killed in plane crash

Investigators probing a plane crash that killed Mexico's interior minister have found no indications so far suggesting sabotage…

Investigators probing a plane crash that killed Mexico's interior minister have found no indications so far
suggesting sabotage or foul play, communications minister Luis Tellez said today.

Interior minister Juan Camilo Mouriño, a close ally of President Felipe Calderon and effectively the number two in his government, died yesterday when a small government plane crashed killing all eight people aboard.

"So far, we have not detected any indications that suggest a hypothesis other than that it was an accident," Mr Tellez said.

Mr Mouriño was in charge of internal security in a country waging a bloody battle against drug cartels. Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos, the deputy attorney general until recently and a key figure in the drug war, also died.

Mr Tellez told a news conference Mexican investigators along with experts from Britain and the United States would carry out a "meticulous and detailed" probe which could take weeks.

More than 4,000 people have been killed this year, mainly drug traffickers but also police and soldiers, by drug gang hitmen lashing back at the army and fighting turf wars.

Reuters