Ten people, including three children, died after a private jet travelling from Acapulco to Toluca attempted an emergency landing on a soccer field in San Mateo Atenco and instead struck a nearby warehouse that stored fuel and gas tanks. Roughly 130 people were evacuated due to the risk from stored fuels while fire crews from Toluca and neighboring municipalities worked to extinguish the blaze. Authorities, including the Attorney General's Office, have opened an investigation into the crash.
Private Jet Crashes Into Fuel-Storage Warehouse After Failed Soccer-Field Emergency Landing — 10 Dead, Including 3 Children
MARIO VAZQUEZ / AFP via GettyEmergency services working to extinguish a fire caused by the crash of a Cessna Citation aircraft that struck an industrial warehouse in the Santa Maria Totoltepec neighborhood near Toluca International Airport in Mexico state on December 15, 2025
A private jet traveling from Acapulco to Toluca crashed and caught fire after attempting an emergency landing on a soccer field in San Mateo Atenco, State of Mexico, on Monday, Dec. 15. Mexico State Civil Protection Coordinator Adrián Hernández confirmed that the accident killed ten people, including three minors.
The aircraft was forced to attempt an urgent touchdown on a field roughly 32 miles (about 50 km) west of Mexico City but instead struck a nearby warehouse and ignited, according to reports from The Telegraph, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and ABC7. Authorities said the warehouse stored fuel and gas tanks, which dramatically increased the risk and prompted an immediate evacuation of the surrounding area.
MARIO VAZQUEZ / AFP via GettyIndustrial warehouse in the Santa Maria Totoltepec neighborhood near Toluca International Airport in Mexico state on December 15, 2025.
Evacuations and Emergency Response
San Mateo Atenco Mayor Ana Muñiz told Milenio Televisión that about 130 people were evacuated after the crash. Secretary of Security for the State of Mexico Cristóbal Castañeda confirmed the hazardous-materials inside the warehouse and the resulting evacuation measures. Fire crews from Toluca, Metepec and neighboring municipalities responded and worked to extinguish the blaze.
FELIPE GUTIERREZ/EPA/ShutterstockEmergency responders at an industrial warehouse in the municipality of San Mateo Atenco, in the state of Mexico, Mexico, 15 December 2025
"It spun around like when a fan breaks loose. Then we heard the explosion, the truck even moved, and then we saw smoke coming out," local resident Octavio Contreras told reporters.
Photographs from the scene show a scorched soccer field and a warehouse with smashed windows as Toluca fire crews and Civil Protection teams applied safety protocols. The Civil Protection Firefighters of Toluca (PC Bomberos Toluca) said they coordinated with neighboring municipalities to fully extinguish the fire and safeguard residents.
Investigation
The Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation into the cause of the crash, abc7 reported. PEOPLE and other outlets reached out to the Attorney General's Office and the Toluca fire service for updates but had not received immediate responses at the time of reporting.
This is a developing story; officials have not yet released a full passenger manifest or a final cause for the emergency landing attempt.
