Manila Air Crash Toll to Hit 19 as All Missing Ones Feared Dead

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 11, 2002

Manila Air Crash Toll to Hit 19 as All Missing Ones Feared Dead

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Updating from earlier reports, 14 people have been confirmed dead with at least another 15 recovered alive from a small plane crashing in the waters near the coast of Manila on Monday, but the missing ones are all feared dead.

The search and rescue operation has been shifted to search and retrieve almost 10 hours after the crash, and the operatives in the field are little optimistic of finding more survivors out of the five passengers still missing.

Four of the 14 fatalities are children.

Some of the parts and components of the wrecked plane have been lifted from the seabed, and will be moved ashore for examination. The black box of the plane, which is expected to provide vital hints for the probe, is reportedly located at its tail.

During her visit to some of the survivors in a hospital in Manila, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered a swift investigation into the incident.

A female survivor told the president that there was no warning at all before the disaster happened. The captain of the plane, who is among the survivors, avoided being seen by Arroyo.

The authorities are eyeing engine failure as among the possible reasons behind the plane crashing with 29 passengers and five crewmen aboard. The plane has possibly been in service for 16 years or more.

Australian embassy in Manila confirmed that there were at least six Australians onboard the ill-fated plane, but only one of them is among the survivors.

Laoag Air, the small local carrier operating the crashed plane modeled Fokker-27, has reportedly been warned against using worn-out aircraft, but the company insisted that its transportation gears are in good conditions for work. However, the company refused to provide the date of purchase of the plane.

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