Half of Mexicans won't believe last week's plane crash was an accident, says survey

As we reported last week, Mexicans put little faith in the word of their government. A survey published this morning by the Milenio newspaper here in Mexico reports that more than half of all Mexicans -- 56% -- won't believe that the plane crash last week that killed the country's interior minister was an accident, even if a government investigation declares it so.

Furthermore, 48% of respondents said that if the government investigation into the crash does in fact find that foul play was at work, the authorities will bury the facts. Of the remaining respondents, 41% said that the government would inform the public if foul play was found, but that it would hide some of the details, and the other 8% said that they didn't know.

A plane carrying Mexico's Interior Minister Juan Camilo Mouriño and eight others crashed in central Mexico City last week, killing everyone on board and at least four other people who were in the street when the plane came down.

Former top anti-drug prosecutor Jose Luis Santiago Vasconcelos was also one of those killed in last week's crash, which has spurred theories that the incident could have been the work of criminal gangs.

Both Santiago Vasconcelos and Mouriño were key players in President Felipe Calderon's fight against  organized crime in Mexico, although analysts said Friday that Mouriño's death would make little difference to Calderon's anti-crime campaign.

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-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City