Philippine Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo is among three people missing and presumed dead after a small plane crashed at Philippine sea off a central Philippine island on Saturday, according Philippine officials / Plane Crash Philippine
Manila, Phillippine Plane Crash / NationalTurk – The Cessna plane crashed near the shore of Philippinese Masbate island while trying to make an emergency landing after suffering an unspecified engine problem, Philippine regional military spokesman Colonel Generoso Bolina stated.
‘Interior Minister Robredo was in a light aircraft en route to Naga from Cebu. There was an engine problem so they sought permission to make an emergency landing at Masbate, but the plane did not make it there and crashed unfortunately’ Colonel Bolina told reporters.
Philippine Plane crash : Four people were on the crashed private plane
Robredo’s aide was rescued but the 54-year-old Philippine cabinet member and the two pilots are listed as missing.
Philippine Transport Secretary Manuel Roxas stated Philippine President Benigno Aquino had been informed of the plane crash and was keeping track of the search for the crashed plane.
“Let us all pray for his safety,” Roxas outcried over Manila’s Radio Inquirer.
Roxas said the Philippine plane crash happened at 4:30 pm (0830 GMT) about one kilometre (0.6 miles) off Philippine shore.
The rescue teams temporarily called off the search for the crashed plane about three hours later as night fell, stated their leader Superintendent Gonzalo Villamor.
Philippine Interior Minister Robredo Missing after Philippine plane crash
“There’s some undercurrent and by the time it got dark we had not managed to find the fallen aircraft,” Villamor told Manila radio station DZBB.
“The aide-de-camp managed to remove his seatbelt and extricate himself just before impact, but he did not see the others,” Villamor explained. The search for the crashed plane carrying Philippine Interior Minister Jesse Robredo would resume at first light, Superintendent added.
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