Political Power Couple Killed in Christmas Eve Helicopter Crash

On Dec. 14, Martha Erika Alonso was sworn in as the first female governor of the Mexican state of Puebla, a job previously held by her husband, Rafael Moreno Valle. Just 10 days later, the political power couple were dead, killed in a Christmas Eve helicopter crash just minutes after takeoff in Puebla city, reports CNN. "When the aircraft was in flight some three nautical miles from the Puebla airport, it suffered an apparent failure which hasn't been determined yet," says Public Security and Civil Protection Secretary Alfonso Durazo. The pilot, co-pilot, and an unnamed fifth passenger were also killed in the 2:40pm crash. Alonso won a closely-contested race for governor in July, notes the BBC; Moreno was a senator. (More Puebla stories.)