Sleepless over plane crash reports in Negros Occidental

BACOLOD CITY — Reports about a plane crash in Negros Occidental have kept some policemen awake, trying to check its veracity.

It turned out to be a false alarm.

Senior Supt. Rodolfo Castil, Negros Occidental police director, said he had goosebumps upon hearing reports that a commercial plane crashed in Negros Occidental.

When they checked with the airline company, he added, its officials denied that they had any missing plane.

He said policemen in Isabela and Moises Padilla towns in Negros Occidental also checked on radio reports but there were none.

Some residents, however, reported about seeing an aircraft that was flying too low, said Castil.

“The Moises Padilla police chief had no sleep trying to ascertain the veracity of the report and other police stations also checked in their areas,” he said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines also said no aircraft had gone missing, he added.

A radio station posted on its Facebook page late Thursday about a passenger plane that crashed in the province. The post spread on the internet and had caused some people to panic.

The radio station later clarified on its Facebook page that no plane crash happened but instead, a low-flying plane was mistaken by some residents to have crashed.

It also said the aircraft was part of joint military exercises between the air force units of the United States and the Philippines.

But Castil said he had not been informed about any joint military exercises.