Plane crash in the mountains of Naval, Biliran unconfirmed yet

CEBU, Philippines - At about 7 a.m. yesterday, reports broke out about a private plane that crashed in the mountains of Brgy. Imelda in Naval town of Biliran province, but after a wide search by authorities at the supposed site, the crash remained unconfirmed as of 6 p.m.

Jun Dacillo, head of the Biliran Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), told The Freeman in a phone call at around 5 p.m. said the aerial search by two helicopters from the AFP Visayas Command turned out negative, meaning there were no signs of a plane crash in the mountains of Brgy. Imelda.

Dacillo said a ground survey was then carried out at 5:30 p.m. when a composite team from the local government and national agencies were deployed to the believed crash site.

Naval Mayor Susan Velasquez Parilla, in a report by the biliranisland.com, said that at about 9:58 a.m., no traces of the crashed plane were found, but the search and rescue operations continued throughout the day by the members of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Philippine National Red Cross.

Yolly Openia, executive secretary of the mayor, told The Freeman at around 5 p.m., that nobody could yet confirm the plane crash, but a team of at least 20 mountaineers of the Naval LGU were already in the mountains of Imelda to find the crash site, which she said was near the boundary of Culaba town.

There were unconfirmed reports that the plane may have come from Ormoc City, and piloted by a student-pilot of an aviation school in the city. (FREEMAN)