Michoacan Vigilante Leader Jose Manuel Mireles Injured In Plane Crash [VIDEO]

Mexican Vigilante Leader Hospitalized — Federal police officers stand guard outside a local hospital where Jose Manuel Mireles, head of Michoacan state's community police, has been admitted in Morelia January 4, 2014. Mireles and four other people were injured when the plane they were travelling in suffered an accident, with one of the injured dying after arriving at the hospital. Mireles suffered a mild head injury and a dislocated jaw, but he is stable and conscious, according to a communique from the prosecutor's office. Michoacan has been rocked by repeated explosions of civil unrest in 2013 and vigilante groups have sprung up in the region which complain that state and federal police are not protecting them from the gangs. Reuters

A plane carrying civilian resistance leader José Manuel Mireles has crashed in Michoacan, killing the pilot and leaving Mireles badly injured. The state's Attorney General confirmed that five people had been injured, among them the Mireles who has been leading a civilian vigilante movement against the drug cartels that have been taking control of communities in the state. The exact cause of the crash has not been determined, however, preliminary investigations suggest a mechanical failure.

The crash comes just hours after the vigilante group led by Mireles took over the municipality of Paracuaro from cartel control. The group's actions have provoked a strong reaction from organized crime groups in the state, who it seems have lit buses on fire on highways in the state, blocking transport and forcing the state's bus service to suspend operations. Mireles has since been transported via helicopter to Mexico City where he remains under tight security in a critical condition.

Drug cartels in Michoacan have been creating havoc in recent months as the powerful Knights Templar battle for control with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. In August, a spate of attacks on gas stations and power plants was attributed to the cartels, while just days ago five bodies were found decapitated near the state capital of Morelia.