Air Force-Tactical Operations Group 2 crew members carry the remains of the victims in a plane crash in Isabela province on Tuesday, March 14. (Photo courtesy of Army’s 5th Infantry Division)
CAUAYAN CITY — The bodies of the six people who died when a Cessna plane (RP-C1174) crashed in January in the Isabela province were taken to this city early Tuesday (March 14).
Col. Sadiri Tabutol, Philippine Air Force (PAF) Tactical Operations Group 2 (TOG2) commander, said the remains of the victims arrived at the TOG2 center shortly before 9 a.m. after being airlifted by a Super Huey 122 helicopter from Isabela’s Divilacan town, where the crash site was found on March 9.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAAP) said the bodies of the crash victims were transported by the Philippine Air Force from Divilacan town proper in Isabela to Cauayan Airport at 8:38 a.m.
Investigators from CAAP’s Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board have also arrived at the crash site to conduct a field investigation.
On board the ill-fated aircraft were the pilot, Capt. Eleazar Mark Joven and passengers Val Kamatoy, Mark Eiron Esguerra, Xam Esguerra, Rom Joshtle Manday and Josefa Perla Espana.
Bringing down the cadavers from the crash site in the forest of Barangay Ditarum in Divilacan took a while to complete due to the rough terrain and bad weather.
Relatives were asked to wait for the remains of the victims at the TOG2 center. – With reports from Meralyn Melitante, Inquirer.net trainee