ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Wreckage of missing plane confirmed on Philippine volcano

Searching for passengers of a Cessna 340 aircraft with registry number RP-C2080 at Tumpa Gulley, Camalig town, Albay province, the Philippines on Feb. 20, 2023. (Bureau of Fire Protection Camalig via AP) Searching for passengers of a Cessna 340 aircraft with registry number RP-C2080 at Tumpa Gulley, Camalig town, Albay province, the Philippines on Feb. 20, 2023. (Bureau of Fire Protection Camalig via AP)
Share
MANILA, Philippines -

The wreckage of a small plane carrying two Filipino pilots and two Australian passengers was identified Tuesday on one of the Philippines' most active volcanoes, officials said.

An aerial search found no sign of those aboard the Cessna 340, which crashed into a gully on the slope of Mayon volcano in Albay province, where it went missing after taking off Saturday enroute to Manila, aviation officials said.

"The condition of the crew and passengers are not yet known as the exact site has not yet been reached by the search and rescue team due to bad weather," the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said. It said investigators spotted the wreckage after three failed aerial searches Tuesday morning due to thick clouds.

Only the tail section of the plane remained intact, said Eric Apolonio, spokesperson of the civil aviation agency.

The Australians were working as consultants for Energy Development Corp., a large geothermal power company. The company said it has deployed teams backed by helicopters and drones to help in the search.

Mayor Carlos Baldo of Camalig town said four teams of government personnel and volunteers, including mountaineers with satellite phones, began scaling the 8,077-foot (2,462-metre) volcano on Tuesday morning after the weather cleared. They should be able to reach the crash site on Wednesday, he said.

"It's a difficult mission," said Baldo, who is overseeing the search and rescue, citing Mayon's restiveness, steep slope and the fickle weather.

Villagers are normally prohibited from entering a permanent danger zone 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) around Mayon, which last erupted in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of residents. But the government's volcano monitoring agency allowed the search for the plane.

Security has also become a concern after two soldiers helping in the search were fatally shot Monday by five suspected communist New People's Army guerrillas in a market where they were buying supplies, military officials said.

CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.

Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.

Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.

A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.

The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.

Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.

Local Spotlight

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.