DAVAO CITY - A military transport plane that crashed after takeoff in Davao City is too deep underwater for divers to reach, Air Force officials said yesterday.
Navy Capt. Rosauro Gonzales said the C-130’s wreckage was located 4.6 kilometers southwest of Samal Island, a short distance from Davao International Airport, from where the plane took off Monday evening.
Fishermen found body parts, a torn uniform, combat boots and other debris Tuesday.
The wreckage sank 600 to 1,000 feet and divers were looking for a way to retrieve bodies and evidence that could indicate the cause of the crash, said Air Force Col. Roy Deveraturda. He flew aboard a helicopter over the crash scene, which teemed with Navy and Coast Guard vessels.
The C-130 had been airborne for five minutes when air traffic controllers were informed it was turning left toward Iloilo Province. The pilot did not report any problem.
After that, the plane lost contact.
A Radio DZBB report said an underwater camera could find no trace of the nine crew, which included two pilots.
Philippine Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog would not speculate on the cause of the crash, which came amid an ongoing military offensive against Muslim rebels in three nearby provinces.
Cadungog, who met with families of the C-130 crew yesterday, said the rebels were not believed to have weapons capable of bringing down a plane flying above a couple of thousand feet.
Investigators would consider the possibilities of material failure, pilot error, sabotage or a lightning strike as causes for the crash, Cadungog said. A witness said a flash of lightning preceded the crash.
“Even the eyewitness did not describe an explosion,” Cadungog said. “What he said was he saw lightning, then he saw something red on the plane that crashed.”
Investigators have found no evidence of sabotage, Deveraturda told The Associated Press.
Davao police investigator Joel Parojinog said residents from a coastal village reported seeing a plane around 9 p.m. Monday “going down into the sea with flames on one of the wings,” followed by an underwater explosion.
The US-made C-130, built in 1971 and acquired for P50 million, is one of only two operated by the Philippine military. The other aircraft was grounded for inspection, and military officials acknowledged the loss would have an impact on combat operations.
In Cebu, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced yesterday the Provincial Government will be extending financial assistance to the families of the plane crash victims at P10,000.
Most of the plane’s crew are based in Cebu.
Capitol’s financial assistance will be coursed through the Provincial Social Welfare Office.
The Central Command (Centcom), meanwhile, has designated two doctors to help counsel the families of the two Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilots and seven crew members of the crashed plane.
Maj. Christopher Tam-pus, Centcom public information officer, said that while counseling and debriefing are being initiated for the families, efforts to find the missing pilots and the crewmembers are ongoing.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Ronald Roderos suggested yesterday that the PAF send a request to the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council to avail themselves of the services of disaster victim identification experts.
Roderos said that in case the PAF finds it difficult to identify those who were aboard the plane, a DNA test using bloodstain samples can help. (AP/With JST and GMD)
