2 missing as plane crashes in Dinagat

MANILA, Philippines — A search and rescue operation has been launched for the pilot and passenger of a Cessna aircraft that crashed in Tubajon, Dinagat Islands on Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.

The CAAP said it has yet to receive an official report from the Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board, whose members are on the ground searching for the pilot and his passenger.

CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said the wreckage of the Cessna with registry number RP-C2444 was found in Barangay Navarro a few hours after the crash.

CAAP officials based in Surigao del Norte yesterday said that the search for the missing people was ongoing.

Residents told authorities that they heard a loud explosion coming from the mountainous area of Dinagat at around 1 p.m.

The explosion prompted members of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management office to rush to the site.

The provincial government said it received a report from the Siargao Tower that it lost contact with the plane, which was headed to Siargao Island.

Authorities have yet to provide details about the operator and the point of origin of the plane.

An incident management team was established onsite to ensure coordination among responding agencies including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard and the Philippine National Police.