Philippines: Rescuers in the Philippines are scaling an active volcano to retrieve the wreckage of a tiny plane that crashed over the weekend with four people on board in a “very risky operation.”
The Cessna 340 carrying the four people, including two Australians, vanished on Saturday morning after taking off for Manila from Bicol International Airport in the central province of Albay, some distance from Mount Mayon.
On board, a reconnaissance aircraft civil aviation inspectors were able to determine that the wreckage of a plane found close to the volcano’s crater was the missing Cessna. If there are any survivors is unknown. The missing jet belonged to Energy Development Corporation, a corporation based in Manila, according to a prior statement. The two Australians served as the renewable energy company’s technical consultants.
Throughout the weekend, efforts to get to the crash site were delayed by rain, clouds, and the potential for a volcanic eruption. The second of five volcano alert levels are currently in effect for Mayon, which means periodic detections of volcanic earthquakes, steam and gas emissions, ground deformation, and intermittent ash and steam bursts. A massive and devastating volcanic eruption is occurring when the alert level is at five.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) stated that, the aircraft was roughly 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,070 to 1,200 metres) above sea level, on the volcano’s western side. 8,077 feet high or 2,462 metres high is the Mayon volcano.
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