Mexican President Vicente Fox makes a speech to the nation in Mexico City September 21, 2005 to express his sorrow over the death of his public security minister Ramon Martin Huerta who died in a helicopter crash near Mexico City on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Reuters photo)

    MEXICO CITY, Sept. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- Mexican President Vicente Fox announced Wednesday the deaths of Public Security Minister Martin Huerta and several other top officials as a result of a helicopter crash.

    At the Presidential Residence of Los Pinos, Fox said Huerta and Federal Police Commander Tomas Valencia were killed in the crash of the helicopter that took them from Mexico City to the high-security prison of La Palma, in Mexico state.

    The helicopter left for the prison from Campo Marte military parade grounds in Mexico City at 10:36 a.m. (1636 GMT), presidential spokesman Ruben Aguilar said. It disappeared from radars in the afternoon.

    An hour and 20 minutes later, the government reported about themissing aircraft and began searching for it, said the spokesman.

    Huerta, 48, had a degree in business administration and once worked as a college professor. He was Fox's campaign director whenFox ran for the governor of the central Mexican state of Guanajuato in 1995, and served as interior secretary after Fox waselected. Enditem