MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III arrived in Masbate as the search and rescue operations (SaR) for Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and two others resumed early Sunday.
Transportation Secretary Manuel Mar Roxas posted on his Twitter account that he and Aquino, along with other government officials, on board PAF C-130 were at the crash site “to lead the SaR efforts.”
“At the location, crash site within sight of beach, 500m & also within sight of end of runway,” Roxas said.
“Water’s calm, sky (is) clear, which will help in (the) ongoing SaR,” he added.
Robredo, and three others were onboard a six-seater Piper Seneca plane when it crashed in the waters off the shoreline of Masbate City at about 5 p.m. Saturday.
Robredo’s aide, P/Senior Insp. Jun Abrazado, survived but the Interior Secretary and the pilot and co-pilot of the plane –Capt. Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese copilot Kshitiz Chand, remained missing.