Honduran leader's plane crashes

President Ricardo Maduro suffered minor bruising

Honduran President Ricardo Maduro suffered minor bruising after the plane he was travelling in crashed into the sea on a trip north of Tegucigalpa.

The small Cessna carrying the president and his daughter Lorena landed in the water while trying to land at Tela, a port on the Caribbean coast.

Presidential spokesman Jorge Barrios said Mr Maduro was recovering in a hospital in the city of Comayagua.

Reports say the plane's engine went dead as it tried to land.

"The plane fell in the water but they were immediately rescued," said Mr Barrios.

Mr Maduro, who has been president since January 2002, was travelling to Tela, 350km (220 miles) north of Tegucigalpa, to visit provincial authorities.