Retrieval operations underway for 4 bodies in Mayon plane crash

BUREAU OF FIRE PROTECTION

RETRIEVAL operations were underway Thursday after authorities confirmed that the bodies of four people on board the Cessna aircraft that crashed on the slope of Mayon Volcano have been found.

Camalig Mayor Carlos “Caloy” Irwin G. Baldo, Jr., the rescue operation’s ground commander, said they were hoping to conclude the retrieval by Thursday despite challenges due to Mayon’s “tricky terrain.”

Mayon is an active volcano that is currently under the second lowest alert level in a five-tier system. Under alert level 2, sudden steam explosions and rockfall are possible, according to state seismologists.

The aircraft went missing in Camalig, Albay at 6:46 a.m. on Feb. 18, just three minutes after taking off from the Bicol International Airport, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

The flight, bound for Manila, had four people on board — a pilot and one crew member, both Filipinos, and two Australian passengers, CAAP said in a statement on Saturday.

All four worked for Energy Development Corp., which own the plane.

“We stand in compassion and deep sorrow with the families of our fallen Kapamilyas in this unthinkable tragedy. We are working with authorities to bring them home to their loved ones where they may rest in peace,” the company said in a statement on Thursday posted on its Facebook page.

CAAP is investigating the incident. The agency earlier noted that the aircraft had an airworthiness certification.

“Cessna (now Textron Aviation) aircraft has recorded 13 accidents, 10 incidents, and 11 serious incidents over the last four years (2019-2023),” CAAP said citing data from its investigation board.

The Mayon incident comes after a Cessna 206 type aircraft crashed in Isabela on Jan. 24 and has yet to be found. — MSJ