Aircraft with four on board crashes in central Philippines, search for survivors on

A Cessna 340 aircraft with four people on board crashed in the central Philippines where rescuers were searching for survivors on Sunday (February 19). According to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the aircraft went missing early Saturday morning shortly after departing for Manila from Bicol International Airport, the news agency AFP reported. The CAAP added that the aircraft was carrying two passengers, a pilot and a crew member.

Speaking to AFP, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said a local search and rescue team identified a possible crash site near the airport. "The problem is that the weather is bad and it hampers the visibility of the ground search," Apolonio added.

This crash in the central Philippines comes after another Cessna aircraft carrying six people went missing on January 24 in the northern province of Isabela. Eric Apolonio told the news agency on Sunday that the search for the aircraft's wreckage is still ongoing.

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A day later (on January 25), two pilots of the Philippine Air Force were killed after their trainer aircraft crashed. The SF-260 TP Marchetti was on a training flight from the Sangley airport in the Cavite province when it was seen going down into a paddy field in the Bataan province 40 minutes after takeoff, according to the air force.

The air force said an investigation was underway into the cause of the crash, and the fleet of SF-260 TP trainer aircraft was temporarily grounded.

(With inputs from agencies)

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