Mexico interior secretary's death was 'accident' Published duration 13 November 2011

image caption Francisco Blake Mora was buried in Mexico City on Saturday

Mexican officials say initial results from an investigation into a helicopter crash which killed the interior minister show it was an accident.

The minister, Francisco Blake Mora, and seven other people died on Friday when their helicopter came down in fog on a remote hillside outside Mexico City.

Mr Blake - a close ally of President Felipe Calderon - was a key figure in the country's war on drugs.

The investigation to determine the cause of the crash is still under way.

But Transport Minister Dionisio Perez Jacome said there was no evidence it had been anything but an accident.

On Saturday, President Calderon paid tribute to Mr Blake at a memorial service.

"The best way to honour these citizens ... is to step up the efforts to transform Mexico into the country they wanted," said the president.

He said he hoped his death would strengthen the resolve of Mexicans to take on the country's powerful drug cartels.

Mr Blake Mora, 45, was appointed to the post last year and was a key figure in the war against drug cartels.

Drug war hardliner

The interior secretary is Mexico's senior cabinet position and the top official after the president, with responsibility for domestic affairs and security.

Mr Blake was Mr Calderon's fourth interior secretary. One of his predecessors, Juan Camilo Mourino, was killed in a plane crash in Mexico City three years ago.

Mr Blake began his political career in the north-western border city of Tijuana in the mid-1990s, later serving as interior secretary for Baja California state.

He also served as a federal congressman from Mr Calderon's National Action Party.

He earned a reputation as being a hardliner in Mexico's struggle with drug cartels.

Mr Blake Mora frequently travelled to cities badly affected by the cartels, such as Veracruz and Ciudad Juarez, to help co-ordinate the government's response.