POSSIBLE SURVIVOR. The wreckage of the Piper plane that went missing on Nov. 30, 2023 is seen in this aerial photo in Casala, San Mariano, Isabela on Dec. 5. The Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office on Thursday (Dec. 7) said the lone passenger of the ill-fated plane appeared to have survived the crash due to a makeshift shelter near the wreckage, while the pilot was found lifeless on the site. (Photo courtesy of PDRRMO Isabela)
MANILA – The lone passenger of the Piper plane that went missing in Isabela province on Nov. 30 is believed to have survived the crash, local authorities said Thursday.
In an update to reporters, Isabela Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, Atty. Constante Foronda Jr. said rescuers did not find the unidentified female passenger at the crash site.
"However, she appears to have survived the crash as indicated by a makeshift shelter that she presumably put up near the wreckage," Foronda said.
Teams of K9 trackers, he said, would be deployed at the crash site to "follow the path that the passenger took through the scent that she left on the vegetation that she passed by."
Foronda said the Piper plane's pilot, Capt. Levy Abul, was found lifeless in the wreckage.
If weather permits, the pilot's body will be flown to Cauayan City on Friday, he said.
The plane's wreckage was found in Casala, San Mariano Isabela last Tuesday. It went missing after departing from Cauayan City Airport last Nov. 30 and was supposed to be bound for Palanan Airport.
The plane, with tail number RP-C 1234, is operated by Cyclone Airways. (PNA)
