Authorities have joined forces to locate a medical helicopter that was reported missing after fetching a patient in Palawan on Wednesday, March 1.

Personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) the police’s Maritime Group, and the local military force were already deployed to the possible crash site in the vicinity waters between Brooke’s Point and Balabac in Palawan.

In a statement, the PCG said the helicopter had five people on hoard, including a patient who was fetched at the Mangsee Islands. 

The PCG described the chopper as “Yellow Bee” with tail number N45VX. 

It was on its way to Southern Palawan Hospital at Brooke’s point when it lost contact along the way.

Based on the report from the Palawan Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the chopper was sent to one of the islands of the Mangsee Group of Islands to fetch a woman who has been complaining of abdominal pains for a few days before the March 1 takeoff the helicopter.

The woman was with two companions when they boarded the chopper. Other people on board were the pilot and a nurse. 

The helicopter was supposed to land at its official station at around 11 a.m. on March 1.

“The PCG is conducting a search and rescue (SAR) operation in the vicinity waters,” the PCG statement read. 

The incident happened while authorities are yet to locate a missing Cessna plane in Isabela. Last month, a Cessna plane with four people on board crashed near the crater of the Mayon Volcano in Albay.