Retrieval of Cessna crash victims starts

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — Teams involved in the search and retrieval operations for a Cessna plane that crashed on the slopes of Mayon Volcano in Camalig, Albay started bringing down the bodies of the victims yesterday amid difficulties brought by bad weather and rugged terrain.

Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, said the teams are considered the “less difficult, less risky scheme” in bringing the bodies down the volcano.

“We are left with no other option, but to take down the bodies by foot, despite anticipated difficulties. Our responders cannot find an easy way in retrieving the cadavers,” Daep told The STAR yesterday.

He said a mass would be offered today in a chapel in Barangay Anoling for the retrieval operation to be succesful, and for the eternal repose of the souls of the victims.

“We decided to hold a mass coinciding with the bringing down of the bodies, to ask for divine interventions that the retrieval operations will be safe for the responders,” Daep said.

He said airlifting the bodies through a helicopter was also considered, but the weather did not permit it.

“If the weather is bad, there is no chance to retrieve the bodies through a helicopter, because it would require a safe landing area at a pre-determined elevation of Mayon,” Daep added.

He said the weather condition on the upper slopes of Mayon changes in split seconds.

“Our plan A was to airlift the cadavers from the crash site down to the foot of Mayon. But bad weather did not permit us to carry out that plan,” he said.

Daep said the teams used the Anoling Gully route in bringing down the cadavers.