2 dead, 6 hurt as helicopter crashes in Cuenca, Batangas

A HELICOPTER (not a private plane as earlier reported) crashed in Cuenca, Batangas Sunday, leaving two dead and five injured, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said.

PRC chair Richard Gordon told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview that the Red Cross already deployed an emergency rescue unit and two ambulances to the area.

Meanwhile, Batangas police director Senior Superintendent Omega Jireh Fidel, in a text message, said the helicopter with registry number RP-C2726 crashed around 12:45 p.m. near Mt. Maculot in Barangay (village) Pinagkaisahan.

In a separate phone interview, Cuenca police chief Senior Inspector Joel Laraya said all the passengers have already been brought to safety although authorities were still in the area as of 3:30 p.m.

The names of the casualties have not yet been disclosed by the police.

Laraya said the injured were initially brought to Martin Marasigan Memorial hospital in Cuenca but said would be transferred to St. Luke’s hospital in Taguig.

He said “poor visibility” due to the bad weather might have caused the crash, although investigation was still ongoing. Aries Hegina and Maricar Cinco