Following the report of the missing aircraft on Saturday, possible debris of the missing Cessna RP340 was captured in a village at the foot of Mayon Volcano in Camalig, Albay on Sunday morning.
On his Facebook page, Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo stated that the debris hanging on a tree was captured by a volunteer through his digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera at around 10:30 a.m.
Baldo gave an update that the responders were going to the possible crash site.
At around 11:42 a.m., at least 256 responders, 12 drones, and four K9 dogs were deployed in the area of Anoling and Quirangay for the search and rescue operations.
Meanwhile, in a statement, the town mayor confirmed that the team of responders already found the crash site and he is still telling the responders about further interventions.
"The aircraft reportedly crashed on the upper part of Brgy. Quirangay, along the Anoling gulley, just less than 2 km from the Incident Command Post (ICP) of the Forest Rangers," Baldo said.
However, he also delivered the news that Pilot Capt. Rufino James T. Crisostomo Jr., crew Joel G. Martin, and two Australian passengers, Simon Chipperfield, and Karthi Santanan have yet to be found.
The Cessna 340A was reportedly bound for Manila when it became unresponsive around 6:00 a.m. yesterday, prompting LGU-Camalig to alert barangays and mobilize responders, with the assistance of various government and private agencies.
Authorities are currently investigating the crash site in order to determine what factors contributed to the recent incident in town.
Search and rescue operations are still ongoing unless dead bodies are discovered, at which point they will be declared search and retrieval operations.
The team is set to closely coordinate with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) given the risks posed by Mayon Volcano's current Alert Level 2 status - The local government is expected to formulate protocols specifically intended for said search and rescue/retrieval operations, as well as the prioritization of responder safety.
