LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – Mission accomplished.
THE retrieval operations for the four Cessna plane crash victims in Albay successfully ended after 13 grueling days. (Mayor Caloy Baldo FB)
Responders on Thursday, March 2, completed the retrieval of the remains of the four Cessna plane crash victims from Mayon Volcano in Albay.
Camalig, Albay Mayor Caloy Baldo, Incident Management Team commander, terminated the retrieval operations after 13 backbreaking and pressure-packed days.
“After 13 days of intensive and exhausting operations, responders composed of mixed mountaineers, local guides, the Naval Special Operations Group (NAVSOG), the Philippine Army, Bureau of Fire Protection-Special Rescue Force (BFP-SRF), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) were able to search, retrieve, and safely drop off and secure the bodies of all the four onboard Cessna 340A under the direct supervision of the Incident Management Team (IMT),” Baldo said in a press statement.
The last body of the Cessna plane crash victim arrived around 7 p.m. on Thursday at the command center in Barangay Anoling in Camalig.
The first remains arrived around 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, the second at 1:07 a.m. on Thursday, and the third two hours later at 3:13 a.m.
Baldo said that the bodies of pilot Capt. Rufino James T. Crisostomo Jr., mechanic Joel G. Martin, and Australians Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam are set to be turned over to the Scene-of-the-Crime Operation (SOCO) for further investigation.
The search and rescue operations started after the plane went missing on Saturday, Feb. 18. After five days, it shifted to retrieval, following the confirmation of the victims’ actual location, identities, and situation.
Baldo thanked responders for their efforts.
“Mayor Caloy likewise expresses gratitude to the selfless efforts and the courageous hearts of the responders who have put their lives on the line and stood up to the challenges surrounding Camalig's first and hopefully, the last aviation tragedy,” he said.
The location of the plane’s wreckage was about 300 meters from the crater of the volcano and was considered as the most dangerous retrieval operation due to rockfall events, fog, strong winds, loose, damp, and slippery soil, and possible phreatic eruption as Mayon Volcano is under Alert Level 2.
Baldo considered the operation as “Albay’s most arduous whole-of-government and whole-of-society high-angle search and retrieval mission to date.”
“These are the brave mountaineers from the Albay Climbing Community (ACC), Mayon Mountaineers, Federation of Bicol Mountaineers Inc., Mountaineering Federation of the Philippines Inc., and the Wilderness Search and Rescue (WISAR), local guides, NAVSOG, BFP, PNP, Philippine Army, Energy Development Corp. (EDC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine Air Force (PAF), Philippine Navy, and other volunteers. The recent accomplishment was achieved through the collective and well-coordinated efforts of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO), EDC, Tactical Operations Group (TOG) 5, SOCO, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), and Albay Provincial Safety, Emergency, and Management Office (APSEMO) who have been very active throughout the 13-day operation,” he said.
Baldo said operations brought forth new challenges in terms of local incident response, prompting the local government unit (LGU)-Camalig, along with partner public and private agencies, to take in and utilize what they have learned to improve further efforts toward disaster risk reduction and management.
“Even so, what the Cessna 340A operations truly highlighted was the Bicolano's undying resilience, faith, camaraderie, and hope especially amid great adversity. Apart from the determination of the teams operating administratively and on the actual field, the Energy Development Corp. has further fueled the operations in a robust stride, providing daily supplies of food, water, equipment, and other augmentation since Day 1, all for their four colleagues and families,” he said.
Baldo, along with the LGU-Camalig, condoled with the bereaved families and friends of the crash victims, and reiterated his sustained vow of not giving up on their search and retrieval.
“In light of this development, the Cessna 340A search and retrieval operations are hereby terminated. The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) Operations Center (OpCen) remains operations 24/7 as usual,” Baldo said.