4 dead in Maguindanao del Sur plane crash

 COTABATO CITY, Philippines — A light plane contracted by the US military crashed yesterday afternoon in Barangay Malatimon in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao del Sur, leaving four people dead.

Barangay officials separately confirmed that two of the fatalities are Caucasians. First responders rescued two other people from the wreckage.

US embassy spokesman Kanishka Gangopadhyay confirmed that the Raytheon Beechcraft King Air 300 was contracted by the US military. He did not provide details. The identities of the victims are still being verified.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region director, confirmed the crash, but asked for more time to wrap up an investigation conducted jointly with local government units.

Witnesses saw the light plane swerving to the left and right and descending rapidly before crashing in a farm in Malatimon at about 2 p.m.

Apart from the people killed or injured, the crash also seriously injured a water buffalo.

Initial reports said the aircraft, bearing tail number N349CA, came from Palawan.

Macapaz said the regional police has informed the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines about the incident. CAAP usually takes the lead in air crash investigations in the country. –  Pia Lee-Brago