A small plane carrying two Filipino pilots and two Australian passengers crashed on Mount Mayon volcano – one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes, rescuers confirmed on Tuesday

“The condition of the crew and passengers are not yet known as the exact site has not yet been reached by the search and rescue team due to bad weather,” the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) informed in a statement.

The authorities are expected to reach ground zero on Wednesday and evaluate if there are any survivors.

The investigators spotted the wreckage onn after three failed attempts due to poor weather. The impact of the crash was severe as only the tail section of the plane was spotted in the wreckage by the investigators.

According to CAAP, the Cessna 340 aircraft carrying four onboard went missing last Saturday, shortly after departing for Manila from Bicol International Airport.
The crashed plane belonged to Manila-based Energy Development Corporation. The two Australians on board were deployed as technical consultants for the renewable energy company.

The volcano, located a few kilometres away from the airport turned out to be the final destination of the plane. CAAP stated the wreckage of the plane lay on the western slope of the volcano.

Mayon, which stands tall at 2,462 metres, last erupted in 2018 and displaced tens of thousands of residents.

The villagers nearby are prohibited from entering the danger zone around the volcano which is placed under the second of five volcano alert levels. Meaning, sporadic volcanic earthquakes, ash and steam blasts, and gas emissions have been detected around the region.
This crash in the central Philippines comes after another Cessna aircraft carrying six people went missing on January 24 in the northern province of Isabela.