Indian pilot, student found dead in Bataan

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines — The bodies of an Indian pilot and his student were recovered from a crash site in Bataan yesterday.

Flight instructor Capt. Navern Nagaraja and student Kuldeep Singh took off from the Plaridel, Bulacan airport at 7:20 a.m. last Monday and landed in Subic, Zambales at 7:51 a.m. for touch and go maneuvering.

The Cessna RP-C 2724 plane was expected to return to Plaridel at 8:14 a.m. but went missing. 

Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna, Bulacan police director, said the plane owned by Fliteline Aviation based in Plaridel crashed at a mountainous area in Hermosa, Bataan, which locals call Malapad na Bato, Gasak Malamig and Mabiga Hulo. 

Rescue and retrieval teams from the Bataan Police, 48th Infantry Batallion and Bataan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office started retrieval operations at 6 a.m. yesterday.

Nagaraja and Singh’s remains were flown to Barangay Mabiga in Hermosa by the Philippine Air Force. 

Indian embassy officials have coordinated with the authorities in transporting the cadavers and bringing them back to India while the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is investigating the crash. – With Rudy Santos