Philippines: Two found dead as Cessna Plane Found in Apayao

The RPIO Police Regional Office Cordillera, in La Trinidad, Philippines, a police division of the Philippines, has revealed a report from their recent Search Rescue and rescue operation regarding a Cessna plane that crashed while on a training flight between the Municipalities of Luna and Pudtil.

The Provincial Director of Apayao Police Provincial Office (PPO), PCOL JEFFERSON CARIAGA, immediately deployed a Search Rescue and Retrieval (SRR) Team to conduct an extensive search and rescue operation after receiving a report regarding a Cessna plane that crashed while on a training flight between the Municipalities of Luna and Pudtol.

Previous reports disclosed that the plane took off from Laoag, Ilocos Norte, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, days after Typhoon Egay swept through the Cordillera region.

It was supposed to land in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan. However, the aeroplane was last detected in Alcala Town, Cagayan, before losing contact with the plane.

According to Apayao PPO, an Incident Command Post was established at Salvacion Elementary School, while the joint SRR Team of Apayao PPO, together with the Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Marines, Apayao Disaster Risk Management Office, Luna MDRRMC, Brgy. Salvacion BDRMMC, and Community volunteers, conducted search and rescue operations.

After more than six (6) hours, the crash site was found in the boundary between Barangay Salvacion in Luna and San Mariano Pudtol town on the afternoon of August 3, 2023.

The two passengers on board the Missing RP-C8598 CESSNA 152 Plane were identified as Capt. Edzel John Lumbao Tabuzo from San Juan City and student pilot Anshum Rajkumar Konde, an Indian national. They were unfortunately found dead by operatives at the crash site.

The cadavers of the victims were brought to Amma Jadsac District Hospital, Poblacion, Pudtol, Apayao, while the black box of the CESSNA plane was turned over to the proper authorities, who are investigating to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.