CAMALIG, Albay – Rescuers struggled to reach the slopes of Mayon Volcano after the wreckage of the missing Cessna 340 plane was found on Sunday, Feb. 19, with the fate of those on board still unconfirmed.
Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo here said that the search and rescue operation continued on Monday, Feb. 20, after the crash site was located at the upper slope of Mayon, almost 32 hours after the plane went missing after taking off from the Bicol International Airport.
The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted 6,500 feet above sea level or 350 meters from the crater of Mayon during an aerial inspection conducted by a helicopter owned by Ayala Corp.
However, Baldo said rescuers won’t go to the top of the volcano anymore because of the difficult terrain.
"Hindi na tayo aakyat dun sa pinakataas kasi hindi natin kaya ‘yun. Dito lang tayo sa mga daanan. Aakyatin lang natin ‘yun kung may ma-identify na may tao dun. Tuloy naman tayo kasi kung maka-monitor tayo along the river, ma-advise na ‘yung side ng quarry, ‘yung sa side namin, ‘yung side ng Guinobatan baka makatulong na rin ‘yung PNP. Kasi hindi naman natin puwedeng ibalewala ito (We won’t go to the top of Mayon anymore because it is difficult. We will only go up if we identify people. We continue to monitor the river, advise the quarry, our side, the side of Guinobatan, maybe the police can help. We are doing all we can. We can’t disregard this)," Baldo said.
Baldo said that the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol will now be in-charge of coordination on the national level since local rescuers do not have the equipment to proceed to the area where the aircraft was seen.
"OCD na ang magko-coordinate sa national. Si Gen. Yucot na magko-coordinate nito. Tuloy po ang search and rescue operations. Hindi tayo susuko kasi buhay ng tao ang concerned dito (OCD will coordinate on the national level through Gen. Yucot. Search and rescue operations continue. We won’t give up because people’s lives are at stake)," Baldo explained.
JB Añonuevo, a member of the Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines Inc. (MFPI), said that retrieval of the bodies could be possible but it is too risky.
A composite team of MFPI, who rescued Russian tourists trapped on the slope of Mayon when it erupted in 2013, volunteered to climb the volcano and help locate those on board – a pilot, mechanic, and two Austrlians.
He said that the serious problem for rescue operations is the possibility of a phreatic eruption as Mayon is under Alert Level 2 rather than the risk of cliffs and loose rocks and sand.
"The situation is, ang ano namin dito ay No. 1, the type of weather that we have. Ang pangalawa is Mayon Volcano is on Alert Level 2. Looking at the pictures na pinakita, most likely inside the canal. So kung ‘yan na canal na ‘yan, so ibig sabihin it is the passage ng tubig, so it is loose rocks and sand (We are concerned about the risks. No. 1 the weather. No. 2, Mayon is under Alert Level 2. Looking at the pictures taken of the crash site, the plane most likely is inside the canal. So if that is a canal, water passes, and it has loose rocks and sand)," Añonuevo said.
Añonuevo suggested that rescuers pass through the Mi-isi trail to reach the wreckage. He said that drop-off could be possible but Baldo said that it is impossible due to weather conditions.
Manila-based Energy Development Corp. said the missing plane belonged to the company and it was seeking to confirm if the wreckage spotted in "very steep terrain and high altitude of about 6,000 feet" was theirs.
Bicol police said rescue teams with sniffer dogs had been deployed to find the crash site.
"The problem is the weather is bad and it hampers the visibility of the ground search," Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesman Eric Apolonio said.
Albay disaster officer Cedric Daep warned the rumbling volcano could erupt at any time, which was complicating rescue efforts.
"There might be a sudden ash explosion and we could be added to the casualties," Daep told local radio DZBB.
An aerial search continued on Monday, Feb. 20, to locate the missing people.
"We are not discounting the possibility that they could still be alive," Daep said.
This was the second Cessna plane that went missing in a less than a month after Isabela on Jan. 24.
Unlike in Albay, that plane's wreckage has still not been found, Apolonio said. (with a report from AFP)