2 dead as plane crashes off Bataan

BAGAC, Bataan—(UPDATE) An aircraft believed to be owned by the Armed Forces of the Philippines crashed into the waters off Barangay Banawang here on Thursday afternoon, killing its pilot and passenger, police said.

Senior Supt. Arnold Gunnacao, Bataan police director, said the plane crashed across the Stella Maris Resort at past 3 p.m.

Police said Philippine Air Force Maj. Ephraim Soyum and another man were killed in the crash. Police identified Soyum through an identification card he was carrying.

The victims’ bodies were mangled, according to divers who retrieved them.

Police said residents near the area saw the plane circling the area before it crashed. Some residents said the plane exploded, but they could not say if the explosion happened before the aircraft hit the water.

Reports from Bagac policemen and divers said the area where the plane crashed was nine-foot deep. They could not determine the aircraft’s make and type because it was shattered.

Lt. Col. Miguel Okol, PAF spokesperson, said the PAF was checking if any aircraft in its fleet or in the fleet of other service commands of the AFP was flying in Bagac at the time of the incident.

Policemen said they were checking reports that the plane came from the Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga.