Chopper burns in Ilocos Sur but all passengers safe

A Philippine Air Force "Huey" helicopter with a troubled engine became totally burned after it made an emergency landing in Ilocos Sur province Friday. The reports about the number of its passengers are still sketchy, as various officials are claiming it is between seven to 12 persons. However, all of them are safe and no one was hurt because the chopper landed safely in a ricefield in Barangay Nagrebcan, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur, before a fire that started in the engine consumed the helicopter. In an interview over dzBB radio, PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Miguel Okol said, "Involved siya sa ating current operations sa norte and then they were able to crashland the aircraft. Mabuti rito wala tayong casualties." (It was involved in our current operations in the north. They "crash-landed" the chopper but there were no casualties.) According to Okol, there were 12 passengers on the chopper, including two pilots and two crew members. He did not give their names. Okol said the PAF has dispatched a team to the site to investigate the cause of the crash. While he said the chopper was likely on an anti-insurgency operation, he voiced doubts the New People's Army downed the chopper. "The pilots are doing well pati ang mga pasahero (The pilots and their passengers are doing well)," he said. Meanwhile, Col. Essel Soriano, commander of the Army's 503rd brigade, said there were seven passengers who managed to get out of the chopper before the fire started. He said investigators still have to determine the actual cause of the fire but he said, "definitely I can assure you, the defect is not a result of enemy fire or something." Meanwhile, Senior Supt. Eduardo Dopale, of the Ilocos Sur police department said initial reports said there were eight passengers who are all safe. He said the firefighters had difficulty in reaching the scene of the accident because the roads were narrow and the helicopter was in a rice field. –VVP, GMANews.TV