MANILA, March 5 — Philippine rescuers have located the wreckage of a missing FA-50 fighter jet along with the bodies of its two crew members in a mountainous region in the southern part of the country.
MANILA, March 5 — Philippine rescuers have located the wreckage of a missing FA-50 fighter jet along with the bodies of its two crew members in a mountainous region in the southern part of the country.
The jet disappeared a day earlier while providing air support to troops engaged in combat with communist rebels in northern Mindanao.
Lieutenant General Luis Rex Bergante, commander of Eastern Mindanao Command, confirmed that the two crew members were found inside the wreckage.
“The bodies were inside the aircraft. There was an attempt to deploy a parachute and eject,” he told AFP.
“The aircraft was completely destroyed. It crashed through trees on the mountain.”
Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Garello of the 4th Infantry Division reported that the wreckage was discovered on Mount Kalatungan in Bukidnon province, one of the Philippines' tallest peaks at 2,880 meters (9,450 feet).
Bergante emphasized that the immediate priority is recovering the remains of the servicemen from the rugged terrain. The cause of the crash is under investigation. — AFP
Challenging Conditions
Garello noted that the search operation was temporarily halted overnight due to security concerns, as communist rebel groups are believed to be active in the area.
On Tuesday, his division had requested air support during a battle with the New People’s Army, a Maoist insurgency that has significantly dwindled in numbers but remains a security concern.
The fighter jet took off from Mactan–Benito Ebuen Air Base, which shares a runway with Cebu’s international airport.
Air Force spokeswoman Colonel Consuelo Castillo stated that this was the "first major incident involving" the FA-50 squadron, which has been used for military exercises in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippine Air Force currently operates a fleet of 12 FA-50 jets purchased from South Korea over the past decade. These aircraft have participated in joint air patrols with the United States in contested areas of the South China Sea, where tensions between China and the Philippines have been escalating.
According to the Inquirer, the Philippine government was considering acquiring an additional 12 FA-50s as of January.
Military aircraft accidents have been a recurring issue in the Philippines in recent years.
In April 2023, two navy pilots died when their Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near a market south of Manila during a training flight. Similarly, in January 2023, two Air Force pilots were killed when their Marchetti SF260 turboprop plane crashed into a rice field. — AFP
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