SALUTE. The Philippine flag at the 103rd Infantry Brigade headquarters in Marawi City was hoisted in half mast to mourn the death of a soldier while pursuing a leader of militants Dawlah Islamiya in Madalum, Lanao del Sur last Thursday (Nov. 26, 2020). (Photo by Divina M. Suson)
MARAWI CITY – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has sent an investigating team that will probe the two separate accidents involving two Vietnam War vintage Huey helicopters while trying to airlift four wounded soldiers during combat operations in Lanao del Sur against Dawlah Islamiyah (DI) militants on Thursday and Friday.
Sources from the Army's 1st Infantry Division, on Saturday said the team will find out the cause of the accidents which could be mechanical trouble or due to bad weather condition.
On Thursday afternoon, a PAF chopper was trying to airlift wounded soldiers in the hinterlands of Madalum town in Lanao del Sur when the pilot felt that the chopper had no enough power to take off.
"Nag-emergency landing siya sa malapit sa encounter site kasi hindi na kakayanin (It emergency landed near the site)," the source said.
The four wounded soldiers of the 55th Infantry Battalion had to wait for the next rescue team that led to a critically-wounded personnel to die.
He was identified as Pfc. Percibal Bagbag from Panabo City, Davao del Norte, who is only four years in the service, according to information from 103rd Infantry Brigade.
On Friday morning, another PAF helicopter, which tried to resume the airlift, also went down when it was about to take off.
The impact caused injuries to the pilot and a crew who were immediately brought to "the best hospital" in Iligan City, according to military.
The three soldiers who got wounded in Thursday’s operation were evacuated from Madalum through Army ambulance.
They were brought to a hospital in the 1st Division in Pulacan, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur and are now in stable condition.
Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the 103rd IBde, said the soldiers were conducting pursuit operations on a group of 20 DI led by its new leader, Faharudin Hadji Satar alias Abu Bakar or Abu Zacaria. (PNA)
