Search on for missing plane

2008-08-26 14:03

Davao - A C-130 military cargo plane with two pilots and seven crewmen aboard is believed to have crashed in the southern Philippines, officials said on Tuesday.

Air force spokesperson Major Gerardo Zamudio said rescuers and fishermen have found debris apparently from the plane in the sea off this southern city after it went missing late on Monday.

"We have received reports from our tactical operations group in Davao that they have found debris near one village," Zamudio said.

Fishermen in the coastal town of Agdao have also retrieved combat boots and parts of a plane in the sea, radio reports said.

Officials have yet to confirm the debris was from the 41-year-old Lockheed Martin aircraft, which lost contact with air traffic control two minutes after taking off from the Davao international airport on southern Mindanao island.

The air force said it has not discounted the possibility that it was attacked or sabotaged by Muslim separatist rebels fighting government troops on the island.

Missing without a trace

Witnesses heard a loud explosion shortly after it took off, said Philippine Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Pedrito Cadungog, adding the incident was "very puzzling" and that it was highly unusual for such a large plane to go missing without a trace.

"We are praying hard they are safe, alive. That is our serious hope," he added.

The aircraft was bound for the central city of Iloilo to pick up members of President Gloria Arroyo's security team and return them to Manila, Cadungog said.

The flight was supposed to have taken about an hour and the aircraft was carrying about six hours' worth of fuel.

Cadungog said the C-130 was already about 1 524m up in the air when it made its last call requesting clearance for a flight path.

He said the pilots were seasoned airmen with more than 4 000 flight hours each.

Cadungog said a search was under way using three military helicopters, and rescuers were checking the reports of a loud explosion over Davao shortly after the plane took off.

Cadungog said there were no reports of maintenance problems with the C-130.

Lawless groups

The air force was not ruling out the possibility of an attack by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), an Islamic separatist group which operates in large parts of Mindanao and in 2003 bombed Davao airport, he added.

"The air force has been in the limelight because of our airstrikes of MILF lawless groups," he said.

Dozens of people have been killed in fighting between the government and MILF since the government scrapped a controversial peace deal with the Muslim guerrillas this month.

Major Zamudio said the incident could affect the air force's ability to transport troops and equipment amid a continuing offensive against the MILF.

Cadungog said he had already asked US forces to help in the search, which would be widened later in the day.

- AFP