2 dead, 3 hurt as chopper crashes in Pililla, Rizal
Aviation officials said an investigation was underway after two persons were killed while three others, including a pilot, were hurt when their helicopter crashed while making an emergency landing in Pililla town, Rizal, on Tuesday morning.
“Unfortunately, one of them was dead on site. The other was declared dead on arrival at the hospital,” Pililla Mayor John Masinsin told reporters in a phone interview.
“The pilot was critically injured and is being processed right now for transfer to a larger hospital … The other two are relatively stable … The families of the patients are already in contact with us,” he said.
Masinsin added that everyone on board the helicopter were civilians. Two were foreigner nationals, including one of the two who died.
Cause still unknown
It was not immediately clear what caused the pilot to make an emergency landing in clear weather. The crash took place about 50 meters (164 feet) away from the nearest cluster of houses in Pililla, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines and other officials.
Masinsin said none of the houses or residents were affected.
An aviation official reported that the Bell 505 helicopter took off from Manila and was enroute to Quezon province when it made a forced landing.
“The survivors are still in shock, so we have yet to extract the details directly from them. We’re prioritizing their recovery,” Masinsin said. —WITH AN AP REPORT
