By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan
MANILA – Two people were killed while three were injured, including one in critical condition, after a civilian helicopter crashed Tuesday morning in Pililla, Rizal.
In a phone interview with reporters in Camp Crame, Pililla Mayor John Masinsin said the incident happened around 7:27 a.m. in Upper Barak in Barangay Quisao.
A foreign national was declared dead, and the critically injured victim was the pilot.
Pililla Police chief Maj. Robert Abundo, in a separate interview, said the pilot was “conscious but disoriented.”
Colonel Eleazar Barber Jr., provincial director of Rizal Provincial Police Office, said police officers continue to coordinate with relevant agencies to determine the cause of the incident and ensure public safety.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said it is investigating the incident of a forced landing of a Bell 505 helicopter, en route from Manila to Quezon province.
“CAAP’s Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board is conducting investigation. Further details will be provided as they become available,” it said. (With a report from Cristina Arayata/PNA)
