BURNED. Authorities sift through the burned rubble of the house in Purok 3, Barangay Lumang Bayan in Plaridel, Bulacan hit by the plane which crash landed on Saturday (March 17,2018). (Photo by Manny Balbin)
PLARIDEL, Bulacan -- At least 10 bodies were recovered after a six-seater light airplane crash-landed on a house in Purok 3, Barangay Lumang Bayan, Plaridel town, this province before noon on Saturday after taking off from an airstrip here.
Senior Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr., Bulacan Police Provincial Director, who immediately went to the crash site, said the recovered bodies include the five from the crashed aircraft, namely Capt. Ruel Meloria and his passengers Elisha Necesario, Ma. Vena Palunan, Romeo Huenda and Melvin Melgar.
The plane, a Piper PA-23 Apache six-seater twin-engine light aircraft with registry number RP-C299 and operated by Lite Air Express, was bound for Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
According to the Lite Air Express team that is in the crash site, there were only five, including the pilot, on board the ill-fated Piper PA-23 Apache 6-seater twin-engine light aircraft. The aircraft’s co-pilot identified as Efren Patugalan was not in the plane.
Caramat said the other five recovered bodies were all members of Santos family living in the house where the light aircraft tragically plummeted into. They were identified as Linda and Rissa Santos, and minors Jhon Jhon Santos Dela Rosa, Trisha Santos Dela Rosa and Timothy Santos Dela Rosa.
A vendor identified as Virginia Marquez and her grandchild Santino Yuri were reported hurt in the accident.
The plane took off from the Plaridel airstrip at 11:21 a.m. Saturday and shortly crash landed in the said barangay.
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines’ (CAAP) accident investigators and a team from Flight Safety and Inspectorate Services (FSIS) were immediately dispatched to the crash site, CAAP spokesperson Eric Apolonio said.
All aircraft operated by Lite Air Express are grounded pending results of investigations, Apolonio added. (PNA)
