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Wreckage of Philippine presidential copter found

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-04-08 21:36

MANILA, Philippines -- Rescuers found the burned wreckage of a missing helicopter Wednesday that had carried President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's key aides, including a general and two Cabinet officials, officials said. Three bodies were recovered.

A soldier search for the wreckage during search and rescue operations for a crashed presidential chopper somewhere in the Ifugao Province of the Philippines, April 8, 2009. [Xinhua]

There was no sign of the five other people who were aboard the Bell 412 chopper when it disappeared Tuesday in bad weather and low clouds that obscured visibility over the northern Philippines' rugged Cordillera mountains. The five could have survived the crash but have not been found, presidential aide Hermogenes Esperon said.

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The chopper crashed in a mountain rain forest near Tinoc township in Ifugao province. A team of policemen reached the crash site after hiking in muddy terrain for hours amid a downpour, officials said.

Among those aboard were Arroyo's senior military aide Brig. Gen. Carlos Clet, Press Undersecretary Jose Capadocia and the president's appointments secretary, Marilou Frostrom. There were five other people aboard, including the two pilots, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

"I am saddened by the discovery of the three bodies," Arroyo said, adding the three bodies have yet to be identified.

Arroyo's aides flew from the mountain resort city of Baguio to Ifugao, about 45 minutes away by helicopter, to prepare for her visit Wednesday. Arroyo was scheduled to inspect a mountain road project and talk to Ifugao officials but the trip was canceled after the chopper's disappearance.

Arroyo, whose popularity ratings have plummeted to historic lows in recent years, has been barnstorming the country, traveling to remote islands and provinces to meet people and promote her economic program.

Hours after the chopper's disappearance was reported, Arroyo ordered a massive search by army troops, air force, police and village officials. The search was widened Wednesday and US military officials dispatched two Chinook helicopters to help.