RETRIEVAL OPS. The four passengers of the Cessna aircraft 340 that went missing on Saturday were confirmed dead on Thursday (Feb. 23, 2023). The four passengers were Capt. Rufino James T. Crisostomo Jr., the mechanic Joel G. Martin, and two Australian passengers, Simon Chipperfield, and Karthi Santhanam, all Energy Development Corporation employees and consultants (Photo courtesy of EDC BacMan).
LEGAZPI CITY – The bodies of the four passengers and the debris of the ill-fated Cessna plane which crashed near the Mayon Volcano's crater on Feb. 18 were already verified and documented but the retrieval team temporarily suspended operations on Thursday due to the loose soil and the fogginess in the area.
At 1:50 p.m., responders led by team leaders from the Energy Development Corporation (EDC) and Search and Rescue Force (SRF) touched down at the crash site, according to the Facebook post of Camalig Mayor Carlos Irwin Baldo Jr.
Baldo, the incident commander, in an earlier press conference on the same day, confirmed that they have shifted from rescue to retrieval operation upon receiving information and photos confirming the bodies of passengers, including the pilot, Capt. Rufino James T. Crisostomo Jr., the mechanic Joel G. Martin, and two Australian passengers, Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam.
The shift was made after a five-day full-blast search and rescue operations by the incident command center.
"Nakita na po ung site, wala na pong buhay doon, kaya nasa retrieval operation na po tayo. Sana matapos din ngayon araw, at ang family nag-aantay na din. Kahit napuntahan na po un, hindi ganon kadali ibaba...kasi nakita naman natin kung gaano kahirap ang terrain, ang hirap ng pinag daraanan ng mga nagre-retrieve doon sa taas. (The site has been seen, there is no life there, so we are in a retrieval operation. I hope the day ends today, and the family is also waiting. Even though we've been there, it's not that easy to get down... because we saw how difficult the terrain is, the hardships of those who retrieved up there)," Baldo added.
"Rescue teams have kept up their retrieval operations yet are still unsure of when and where exactly the cadavers can be safely dropped off due to Mayon’s tricky terrain," he said.
Dr. Cedric Daep, Albay Provincial Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) chief, said earlier that they will mobilize another batch of responders to back up the 28-man team that first approached the crash site to complete the mission.
Daep also confirmed that the immediate family members of the passengers, including the two Australian nationals, were informed about the status of the retrieval operation.
He added that the manner of retrieval still considered several factors, including the weather, the Mayon situation, and the pacing of the responders.
"With the full support of the EDC, hindi tayo pinapabayaan, all throughout, full force, full support sila sa lahat ng resources including vehicles and the needs of the rescuers. (With the full support of the EDC, all throughout, full force, full support them in all resources including vehicles and the needs of the rescuers)," he said.
"We mourn the confirmed passing of our dear colleagues, Captain Rufino James Crisostomo Jr., Joel G Martin, Simon Chipperfield, and Karthi Santhanam, who were on board the Aircraft RP-C-2080 that was reported missing early Saturday morning shortly after taking off from the Bicol International Airport," Richard B. Tantoco, President and Chief Operating Officer of EDC, said in a statement. (PNA)
