By CHRIS V. PANGANIBAN
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Search and rescue operations continued on Thursday, April 9, for the missing crew of the Cessna plane after authorities located the wreckage of a missing Cessna aircraft in the mountainous village of Barangay Navarro in Tubajon town in Dinagat Islands, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
The aircraft, identified as RP-C2444, was reported missing on Wednesday before its wreckage was found later that day in rugged terrain in Tubajon town.
As of the latest public reports on Thursday, there was still no confirmed recovery of survivors, and no fuller official casualty announcement had been released beyond reports that those aboard remained missing.
Residents earlier reported hearing a loud explosion-like sound at around 1 p.m. on April 8, prompting the immediate mobilization of disaster responders and law enforcement units to verify the situation and secure the area.
In an earlier statement, the Dinagat Islands PDRRRMO said a special search and rescue operation had been launched in coordination with local and national response agencies following reports linked to aircraft RP-C2444.
The office said authorities were focused on search, retrieval, and the safety of responders and nearby communities, while urging residents to stay away from the affected area and relay relevant information to local authorities.
The rescue effort is being led on the ground by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of Tubajon, with support from the Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine Army, and the Philippine Coast Guard, according to the provincial disaster office.
Gov. Nilo P. Demerey Jr. also deployed the province’s Incident Management Team and drone personnel to assist in aerial assessment, mapping, and coordination of the response.
Demerey Jr. personally went to the crash area of the private Cessna aircraft, underscoring the provincial government’s hands-on approach as operations continued.
The governor’s presence on-site was meant to help ensure that all SAR activities were well-coordinated, adequately supported, and responsive to the demands on the ground, while rescue teams sustained focused search efforts and carefully retrieved debris and aircraft fragments as part of the ongoing assessment.
Provincial authorities said the government remained fully mobilized in terms of resources, manpower, and inter-agency coordination to support responders and hasten efforts to locate and account for everyone involved.
Authorities said operations would continue as teams worked through the difficult terrain in Navarro. The provincial government has yet to release a fuller official accounting of the identities of those aboard and the circumstances leading to the crash, pending the outcome of rescue and investigation efforts.
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