Bodies of pilot, student recovered from Cessna plane crash site

MANILA, Philippines — A search and rescue team has recovered the bodies of two passengers onboard the two-seater Cessna plane that crashed while on a training flight.

In a Facebook post, the Apayao Police Provincial Office said it has identified the two passengers on board the Cessna 152 training aircraft (RP-C8958) as Capt. Edzel John Lumbao Tabuzo and student pilot Anshum Rajkumar Konde. The search and rescue team found their bodies at the crash site.

The plane took off days after Typhoon Egay made landfall in the Cordillera region. Authorities could no longer detect the plane after it left the Laoag International Airport in Ilocos Norte on Tuesday, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said.

Tabuzo and Konde’s planned route included a "touch and go" activity at the Cauayan Airport before supposedly heading to Tugueguerao, according to authorities.

According to CAAP, the Cessna plane's last known position was 32 nautical miles northwest of Alcala, Cagayan.

The Apayao Police Provincial Office said that the crash site was found in the boundary between Barangay Salvacion in Luna and San Mariano Pudtol town on Thursday afternoon.

Apayao officials said Tabuzo’s body has been returned to his family. The body of Konde, an Indian national, will be turned over to the Indian Embassy.