The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said the plane was on the western slope of the volcano, about 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,070 metres to 1,200 metres) above sea level. The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on Tuesday said aerial search is needed to confirm if the debris of an aircraft shown in a photo of Mayon Volcano belongs to the Cessna plane that went missing on Saturday. Local media organisation GMA News said the crash site was located within the volcano’s “permanent danger zone (PDZ)”. Alert five means a major and deadly volcanic eruption is under way. Mayon is currently under the second of five volcano alert levels, meaning volcanic earthquakes, steam and gas emissions, ground deformation and intermittent ash and steam blasts have been sporadically detected. Rain, clouds and the risk of a volcanic eruption have hampered efforts to reach the crash site over the weekend and on Monday. The two Australians were technical consultants for the renewable energy company. Manila-based Energy Development Corporation said previously that the missing plane belonged to the company. It was not known if there are any survivors. The four, including two Australians, were flying in a Cessna 340 aircraft when it went missing on Saturday morning after taking off for Manila from Bicol International Airport in the central province of Albay, several kilometres from Mount Mayon volcano.Ĭivil aviation investigators on board a reconnaissance flight on Tuesday confirmed that the wreckage of a plane spotted near the crater of the volcano was the missing Cessna. Alert 5 means a major and deadly volcanic eruption is under way.Rescue workers in the Philippines are climbing an active volcano in a “very risky operation” to reach the wreckage of a small plane that crashed over the weekend with four people on board, officials said. It is currently under the second of five volcano alert levels, meaning volcanic earthquakes, steam and gas emissions, ground deformation and intermittent ash and steam blasts have been sporadically detected. Rescue contingents could enter a permanent danger zone 6km around the volcano because “it’s an extraordinary situation”, but the search and rescue should be carried out by well-trained experts, who should be backed up by standby emergency contingents and made aware of the high risks involved, Bacolcol said.Ī popular tourist attraction because of its near-perfect cone, Mayon last erupted in 2018, displacing tens of thousands of villagers. “It’s a race against time and it’s a matter of life and death, but there’s also the danger of rockfalls and volcanic lahar”, referring to a landslide of volcanic debris. “It’s a very risky operation,” the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director, Teresito Bacolcol, said.
The search teams would have to be closely monitored by volcano experts and local officials given the restiveness of Mayon, one of the country’s 24 active volcanoes, AP reported. The ground search effort was hampered by rainy weather over the weekend. Our thoughts are with their families, friends and loved ones at this difficult time,” the spokesperson said. “The Australian embassy is in contact with local authorities and Dfat officials are providing consular assistance to the families of two Australians reported to be missing. “Our thoughts are with Simon and Karthi’s families and loved ones.”Ī Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) spokesperson said officials were aware of the missing aircraft. Representatives from the employee assistance program have been arranged to be at the Santos offices, the spokesperson said. “Simon and Karthi worked at Santos for many years and have a number of friends and former colleagues throughout the Adelaide and Brisbane offices,” a Santos spokesperson told the Guardian. The Adelaide-based men had been working for a geothermal power company in the Philippines, according to officials cited by AP. The two passengers are believed to be Australians Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam, who previously worked at energy company Santos in its Adelaide office. Rescuers head out to find a wreckage spotted near the Mayon volcano crater in the Philippines after the Cessna with two Australians on board went missing.
0 kommentar(er)
