A small Mexican Navy plane transporting a 1-year-old medical patient along with seven others crashed Monday near Galveston, killing at least two people, officials said.

Emergency officials rescued four people and were searching for two that were inside the aircraft, Mexico’s Navy said in a statement to The Associated Press. Four of the people aboard were Navy officers and four were civilians, according to the Navy. It was not immediately clear which ones were missing and which had been killed.

Two of the people aboard were members from the Michou and Mau Foundation, which is a nonprofit that provides aid to Mexican children who have suffered severe burns.

The crash took place Monday near the base of a causeway near Galveston, along the Texas coast about 50 miles southeast of Houston.

Mexico’s Navy said in a statement that the plane was helping with a medical mission and had an “accident.” It promised to investigate the cause of the crash.

The Navy is helping local authorities with the search and rescue operation, it said in a post on the social media platform X.

Teams from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board have arrived at the scene of the crash, the Texas Department of Public Safety said on X.

The Galveston County Sheriff’s Office said officials from its dive team, crime scene unit, drone unit and patrol were responding to the crash.

“The incident remains under investigation, and additional information will be released as it becomes available,” the sheriff’s office said in a post on Facebook, adding that the public should avoid the area so emergency responders can work safely.

Galveston is an island that is a popular beach destination.

It’s not immediately clear if weather was a factor. However, the area has been experiencing foggy conditions over the past few days, according to Cameron Batiste, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

He said that at about 2:30 p.m. Monday a fog came in that had about a half-mile visibility. The foggy conditions are expected to persist through Tuesday morning.

As the holiday season continues, at CBS News Texas, we are once again proud to honor those making a difference in our community.    

As part of CBS News Texas’ third annual 11 Days of Giving campaign, supported by Tom Thumb Albertsons, $1,000 is awarded each day to a local nonprofit making a meaningful impact.

Today, we’re introduced to 4-Legged Helpers, a non-profit helping local animal shelters keep animals safe, fed, and prevent them from being euthanized all over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

One of those animals is Bosco.

“He’s a big old goofball,” said Carlos Renovato.  

Bosco is also looking for a home. Renovato is the animal control officer in Wilmer, and he said it’s a struggle to provide for the animals he’s tasked with caring for.  

“Our budget’s not enough for the resources; if an emergency comes along, they don’t have the ability to go to the vet or the funds to feed them. So, it comes down to euthanizing the dogs,” said Renovato. 

Luckily, for Renovato and Bosco, they know Heather Marks and Leanne Hayden.  

“We donate, we help him with food, toys, treats, things like that, if there’s anything he needs, we’ll just let him know and make sure he gets it,” said Marks. 

The two founded 4-Legged Helpers.

“The animals just need help,” said Marks. 

They estimate it costs around $700 per animal to get them adoption-ready.  

“That’s a lot, but it’s worth it. Because they wouldn’t see tomorrow if we didn’t step in,” said Marks. 

That’s why 4-Legged Helpers was selected to receive a $1,000 donation. The money will keep goofballs like Bosco happy and healthy.  

“We are their voice, and if we weren’t here to fight for them, no one would be,” said Marks. 

As the offseason of college football approaches, coaches across the country are leaving their current programs for new ones. One of these coaches is Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who has left the Wolverines for the Mizzou Tigers. With his departure, Michigan will look to a new coach to assume Lindsey’s duties in the upcoming Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.

Taking over play-calling duties for Michigan will likely be Wolverines tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator Steve Casula.

Steve Casula Takes Over As Offensive Coordinator

According to ESPN, Lindsey signed a three-year deal with the Tigers to take over as the team’s offensive coordinator. After spending only a single season with the Wolverines, he left in the aftermath of the recent Sherrone Moore scandal, which led to the firing of the former Michigan head coach.

Casula is in his second season with the Wolverines as an assistant coach, but previously worked with Michigan from 2019 to 2021 as an offensive analyst. Nearly eclipsing 20 years of coaching experience, this will not be Casula’s first time taking on a team’s offensive playcalling.

Casula previously held stints as the offensive coordinator at Davenport, Ferris State and, most recently, UMASS. While with Massachusetts, the Minutemen offense averaged 22.5 points per game, 163.5 rushing yards per game, 181.8 passing yards per game and 345.2 total yards per game.

Now he takes on perhaps his toughest challenge yet as an offensive playcaller, taking on the Texas Longhorns in the Citrus Bowl.

Texas has undergone some coaching changes as well, on the opposite side of the ball, recently firing defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski and hiring Will Muschamp in his stead.

While the Texas defense didn’t perform to expectations this season and has had various players opt out of the Citrus Bowl, they still boast some of the best young talent in the nation. Defensive players set not to play in the Longhorns’ upcoming contest include linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., safety Michael Taaffe, defensive lineman Ethan Burke, cornerback Malik Muhammad and linebacker Trey Moore.

This will mean the Longhorns will get an early look at perhaps some of the players that will be the core of next season’s defense. Some young names like Jonah Williams and Bo Barnes likely be given a chance to play significant minutes, and will hope to put a stop to Casula and the Michigan offense.

With the turmoil that Michigan has undergone over the past few weeks, perhaps Casula can bring some stability to the offense after Lindsey’s exit.