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Plane crashes in Cagayan; passengers, pilots safe


(Updated 6:32 p.m.) Thirteen people, including two children, were miraculously unhurt when their plane crashed in a village in Cagayan province in northern Luzon on Monday, a police official said. Cagayan Police chief Senior Superintendent Mau Aplasca described the plane as a Beechcraft light plane with tail number RPC-1111. Citing reports reaching his office, Aplasca said the plane was on its way from Basco, Batanes to Tuguegarao in Cagayan when it crashed along the Cagayan River in Barangay San Vicente in Iguig town around 1:30 p.m. "Joint rescue teams from Iguig police and Barangay San Vicente conducted rescue operations that resulted in the successful recovery of all 13 passengers and pilots unharmed and in good condition," Aplasca said. Aplasca identified the two pilots as Captain Agustin Jose and Captain Benedict Dela Cruz. The passengers were Rustom Hontonia, Jack Castaño, Jovani Pahodpod, David Batan, Benedict John Acebes, Mae Jane Agcaoili, Harold Agito, Kate Vallentes, Mika Horkajo, Hana Horkajo and Yale Mark Elep. Aplasca said Mika and Hana were five and three years old, respectively. Three passengers -- Agito, Acebes and Pahodpod -- were Boy Scout members on their way to Ilocos for a scouting activity. Aplasca quoted the pilots as saying they made an emergency landing after the aircraft's two engines shut down in midair. Castaño, one of the passengers, said the engine stopped while they were 3,000 feet up in the air and 8.5 kilometers from the Tuguegarao airport. "Sa tubig kami bumagsak. Lumabas kami at sa pakpak nakatayo (We landed on the water. We went out of the aircraft and stood on its wings)," he told GMANews.TV in a text message. Castaño said the rescue boats arrived 20 minutes after the crash. Aplasca said the passengers are now under the care of the local government of Iguig. He added that the police is coordinating with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines to determine the cause of the crash.- with Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMANews.TV
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