The Tribune

By KHRISNA VIRGIL

Deputy Chief Reporter

kvirgil@tribunemedia.net

NINE people, including Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin, walked away unharmed after the small private Learjet 55 aircraft they were in crashed in bushes a short distance from the end of the North Eleuthera International Airport runway on Friday afternoon.

The 31-year-old Colombian, whose real name is Jose Osorio Balvin, thanked God for his survival after emerging uninjured as he was leaving The Bahamas. He posted a photograph of himself on Facebook sitting on the airplane’s wing with a note in Spanish that said: “We’re safe. God didn’t want us to die today.”

According to a statement from officials at the Department of Civil Aviation, investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.

“On Friday August 26, 2016, at 2.55pm, N666TK, a Lear jet 55, aborted take off on runway 07 at North Eleuthera Airport, coming to rest in bushes approximately 300 ft from the end of the runway,” the statement noted. “No injuries were sustained by the nine persons on board the aircraft at the time. The intended destination was Miami Opa Locka Airport.

“Investigators from the Flight Standards Inspectorate (FSI) division of the Civil Aviation Department were dispatched to North Eleuthera the following morning, to begin investigations into the cause of the incident (a runway excursion).

“Investigations are ongoing, with a team of investigators scheduled to return to Eleuthera Monday, August 29, 2016.”

According to international reports, a spokesman for the artist said: “I can confirm that there was an incident with a small plane on which J Balvin was departing the Bahamas. J Balvin is okay, sustaining no injuries, but we do not have any further details on exactly what happened with the flight at this time.”

On Friday, Mr Balvin posted a photo on Facebook that showed the small plane embedded in bushes. Later, the picture was taken down from his Instagram account. He also posted a photo on Instagram showing himself standing with his hands together in prayer at the end of a small jetty with his back to the turquoise sea and captioned it ‘Resilience’.

Clearly nervous about flying after what happened, he wrote in Spanish alongside the snap: “The only way to overcome fears is to face them. God protects me.”

Next month, J Balvin is scheduled to be honoured at the annual Hispanic Heritage Awards in Washington, DC. He will be presented with the Vision Award “for serving as a role model to youth while setting the music world on fire with his dynamic talents”.

See video on tribune242.com