Many killed as air ambulance explodes during take off in Philippines

MANILA: A medical evacuation plane exploded in a ball of flames during takeoff on Sunday in the Philippine capital, killing all eight passengers and crew on board, officials said.

The plane was bound from Manila to Haneda, Japan, and burst into flames at the end of the runway, Manila’s main airport said, adding that fire crews were dispatched to douse the plane with foam, reported Reuters.

The Lion Air plane was carrying three medical personnel, three flight crew, a patient and a companion, Richard Gordon, a senator and head of the Philippine Red Cross, said on Twitter.

Authorities said that nine people were killed when an air-ambulance plane crashed into a resort area near the Philippines capital on Sunday, sparking a fierce blaze and sending terrified locals fleeing, reported AFP.

The small plane reportedly crashed at Miramonte Village in Barangay (village) Pansol, Calamba, Laguna.

IN PHOTOS: Authorities attended to the area where a medical evacuation aircraft crashed at around 3PM on Sunday. Three were confirmed dead. pic.twitter.com/EDwpjpwsxc

— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) September 1, 2019

By late Sunday evening, nine bodies had been found. There were eight people aboard the light aircraft who died in the crash in Calamba City, local emergency official Jeffrey Rodriguez said.

Two persons on the ground were injured when the plane went down.

Footage on social media showed the chaotic scene as an ambulance drove towards a building that was engulfed in flames and witnesses shouted for help in the street.

There are people believed to be in the resort district when the plane went down. Police said two people were injured in the crash and were rushed to hospital.

Philippine aviation authorities said six passengers and two pilots were aboard the craft when it disappeared from radar about 25 nautical miles from the capital Manila.