A WHITE object suspected to be the missing Cessna plane was spotted in Divilacan, Isabela amid ongoing search and rescue operations, a local official said on Friday, January 27, 2023.
In a press conference, Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) chief Constante Foronda said that search and rescue teams are not yet able to get a clear view of the spotted object in the mountainous areas of Barangay Dicaruyan due to bad weather.
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He said a farmer told authorities that he saw a plane flying within the vicinity of Maconacon Airport, the destination of the Cessna plane RPC1174 that went missing on Tuesday, January 24, while carrying six passengers.
“Meron siyang (farmer) eroplanong nakitang lumilipad to Maconacon Airport and then it went to the right, made a loop and appeared to him na in distress 'yung aircraft,” Foronda said.
(The farmer saw a plane flying to Maconacon Airport and then it went to the right, made a loop and appeared to him that the aircraft was in distress.)
A family member of one of the passengers of the missing aircraft was able to contact his phone number until it went unattended later on.
The location of the cellphone number was determined within 20 kilometers of the cell site in Maconacon, a mountainous area between Maconacon and Divilacan, Isabela.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap) said it is in close coordination with the concerned government agencies for the conduct of search and rescue operations.
"As weather conditions are expected to improve today, the search and rescue (SAR) team will continue their attempt to find the said missing aircraft," it said. (SunStar Philippines)