U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday called his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon to express his shockness and sadness over the tragic deaths of Interior Minister Francisco Blake Mora and seven others in a helicopter crash earlier in the day. \"The president said that his thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were lost, with President Calderon, and with the Mexican people,\" the White House said in a statement. In his phone call on Air Force One, as the president was traveling, Obama told Calderon that \"the United States deeply regrets the loss of these officials who were close partners of the United States, and strong public servants for the Mexican people.\" Obama reaffirmed the close partnership between the U.S. and Mexico, pledging to stay in close contact and provide any assistance needed going forward, the White House said. Blake, 45, was traveling from Mexico City to the central state of Morelos for a public security meeting when the tragedy occurred, making him the second interior minister during Calderon\'s presidency to be killed in a plane crash. On Nov. 4, 2008, Juan Camilo Mourino and several other people died when their small plane crashed in an accident. Calderon said that the latest crash happened in cloudy conditions and could have been an accident.