By Raydes B. Barcia
Legazpi City — A week after the Cessna plane crashed near the crater of Mount Mayon on February 18, the composite team of the retrieval team successfully retrieved the bodies of Captain Rufino James Crisostomo Jr., aircraft mechanic Joel Martin and Australians Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam.
Mayor Carlos “Caloy” Irwin Baldo, Jr., said that the 385 responders that trekked over the restive Mount Mayon finally retrieved the four bodies of ill-fated Cessna plane passengers on Saturday.
“Assault teams successfully retrieved the four bodies and are currently on their way to the assault base camp. Holy Mass for Cessna will be held tomorrow, February 26, 2023, 2:00PM, at Anoling basketball court, Barangay Anoling,” Baldo said.
The cadavers Captain Rufino James Crisostomo Jr., aircraft mechanic Joel Martin and Australians Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam finally on its way to the base camp where the retrieval team passes through the dangerous and tricky trails downslope of Mayon volcano one week after the plane crash.
The retrieval team retrieved the two bodies in the morning, this afternoon the two more bodies finally recovered after establishing the anchor bolts to help the responders bring down the cadavers downslopes of Mount Mayon.
Prior to the retrieval of four bodies, the rescuers offered a white chicken near the crash site some 350 meters away from the crater of Mayon Volcano.
Photo source: Mayor Caloy Baldo/Facebook
“We will offer one white chicken at the crash site. Papaduguan at dadasalan ng mga responders as our offering kay Mayon (a pinch of blood and prayer will be offered to the crash site near the crater of Mayon),”Baldo said.
The cadavers Captain Rufino James Crisostomo Jr., aircraft mechanic Joel Martin and Australians Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santhanam finally on its way to the base camp where the retrieval team passes through the dangerous and tricky trails downslope of Mayon volcano one week after the plane crash.
Cedric Daep, chief of Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office said that the retrieval of four cadavers is the most dangerous and difficult one in the history of Albay following the extraordinary condition of the terrain.
“It’s a high angle operation. It’s the most dangerous retrieval operation undertaken by our responders. They could not find a stable ground to put up the anchorage. We hope that they can go down in the earliest possible time. We are monitoring the status of Mayon volcano bulletin daily to check the condition of our bases,” Daep said.
“The longer the retrieval team stays in the crater the more danger they’re facing. They could not get the bodies of four people because the soil is moving and it will run as far as one kilometer. It’s extremely delicate and dangerous.
Daep said that there is a need to expedite the retrieval for fear of possible phreatic explosion of Mount Mayon due to restive conditions.
“We need to expedite the retrieval considering the alert status of the volcano. Our mission is supposed to be within the day. This is the most dangerous and difficult retrieval operation. Our responders could not easily retrieve the bodies because the earth is moving, putting the lives of our retrievers in great danger. Once the earth is remobilized it can be cascaded by one kilometer putting the lives of our retrievers in great danger,” he said.
But despite heavy rain on Friday till Saturday morning, responders are still pushing through despite the extreme dangers at the volcano.
“Their movement is being closely monitored 24/7 by the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MDRRMC) Emergency Operations Center,” Daep said.
Baldo said the retrieval team from government and mountaineering groups have set up a base camp close to the crash site, which is about 6,000 feet from the mountain’s base, and just 300 meters below the crater.
The bodies of Chipperfield and Santhanam were found near the crater, while those of Crisostomo and Martin were found near the wreckage of the plane, he said.
The Energy Development Corp. (EDC)’s Cessna plane carrying four people was reported missing on Saturday after taking off at the Bicol International Airport. The EDC said the missing plane belonged to the company and it was seeking to confirm if the wreckage spotted on Sunday in “very steep terrain and high altitude of about 6,000 feet” was theirs.
The aircraft was piloted by Capt. Rufino James Crisostomo Jr. With him were Joel Martin (aircraft mechanic) and Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santanan, technical consultants of EDC.
The air traffic controllers at the Bicol International Airport lost contact with the Cessna 340 plane on Saturday. The aircraft with registry number RP-C2080 left the airport at 6:43 a.m.
The controllers made their last contact with the plane at 6:46 a.m., when the Cessna was in the vicinity of Camalig at an altitude of 2,600 feet. It was supposed to arrive in Manila at 7:53 a.m. (Raydes B. Barcia)