Laguna plane crash victims named

Wreckage Firefighters sift through the site where an air-ambulance plane crashed at a resort area in Pansol, Laguna. AFP

Nine passengers were killed in the crash of the Beechcraft King Air type (BE350) medical evacuation aircraft in Pansol, Laguna Monday.

Only eight persons, however were listed in the flight plan/manifesto of the plane operated by Lion Air with registry number RP-C2296.

Those who perished were Capt. Jesus Fernandez (pilot), First Officer Lino A. Cruz Jr. (co-pilot), Dr. Garret Garcia, nurse Kirk Eion Badilla, nurse Yamato Togawa, Ryx Gil Laput, Raymund Bulacja (flight mechanic) and Tom Carr (patient).

The unlisted passenger, Erma Carr, a Filipina with New Zealand citizenship, is the wife of the New Zealander patient.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) Aircraft Accident Investigation and Inquiry Board (AAIIB) is currently investigating the cause of the crash that killed all 9 persons onboard.

As a matter of protocol, the CAAP cannot yet release partial information from the investigation. The Authority will be releasing its final report once the AAIIB concludes its probe of the crash.