14 reportedly killed in Philippine airplane crash

A Philippine TV station reported Tuesday that at least 14 people were killed after a small airplanecrashed into the waters near Manila coast, but the accident has yet been officially confirmed.

The ABS-CBN TV station said that the plane carrying 29 passengers and five crewmen crashed at around 6:00 a.m. on Monday or the Philippine Election Day.

The TV quoted a witness as saying that thick smoke was coming out from the plane minutes before it dove into the water and the pilot apparently failed in making an emergency landing.

After hours of search operations, rescue teams discovered 19 survivors and 14 bodies, including a three-year-old boy, a South Korean and a crew member, the report said.

It also said that President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo had ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and designated Transportation and Communications secretary to oversee the search and rescue work in person.

The report said that the aviation authorities attributed the engine failure as one of the possible reasons for the crash of theplane, which had been in service for at least 16 years.

Source: Xinhua