The Philippine Army(PA) suspended its search for survivors Monday, January 30, following the weather in the search area of Sierra Madre mountain range.
The Cessna plane, which had departed 2:15 PM Tuesday, January 24, in the Cauayan Airport with six people on board, was bound for Maconacon, Isabela, when it went missing near Naguilian Bridge about a quarter a way through its 30-minute route.
The Army said spent these past days saturating the route area of the Cessna plane to find the six passengers, including its pilot, before suspending the search today due to the on-going bad weather.
Three search and rescue teams are from the 95th Infantry Battalion, Army spokesperson Col. Xerxes Trinidad, said in a statement.
“Three search and rescue teams from the 95 Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Division continue to search for missing passengers of the plane that went missing en route to Maconacon Airport in the eastern seaboard of Isabela,” he added.
Trinidad said two squads composed of nine personnel and 10 personnel each are “ransacking” the backwoods of Barangay Sapinit in Divilacan while the third squad, composed of 15 personnel, is currently searching the jungles of Barangay Dicaruyan also in Divilacan.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) identified the missing passengers recently.
On board the missing Cessna RPC 1174 are pilot Captain Eleazar Mark Joven and passengers Tommy Manday, Val Kamatoy, Mark Eiron Siguerra, Xam Siguerra, and Josefa Perla España.
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