PUEBLA, MEXICO — The first female governor of Mexico's second largest city, and her senator husband lost their lives in a tragic Christmas Eve helicopter crash.

According to the BBC, the Mexico city bound helicopter carrying Puebla governor Martha Erika Alonso and Senator Rafael Moreno Valle took off from a Puebla city helipad on Monday afternoon.

The Augusta 109 helicopter reportedly lost contact with air traffic control and fell 10 minutes after takeoff. It crashed around 2:50 p.m. local time in a cornfield in the municipality of Santa Maria Coronango.

Alonso and Moreno Valle died in the crash along with the two pilots and another unidentified passenger.

Federal and state officials say they have opened investigations into the cause of the accident, but some are calling for an independent probe as the case is potentially sensitive.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's leftist Morena party had challenged the validity of Alonso's election in July. There were allegations that Moreno Valle, who governed Puebla from 2011 to 2017, manipulated the election to pass power to his wife.

Alonso was sworn in just ten days ago after an electoral tribune validated the results.