12 November 2002MANILA - Flight 585 of the Laoag International Airlines
(LIA) bound for Basco in Batanes, via Laoag, Ilocos Norte,
crashed into Manila Bay yesterday morning claiming at least
18 lives.
There were 16 survivors. Australian tourists were among
the dead .
The Fokker 27, which had 29 passengers and 5 crew on
board, had just taken off from the Manila domestic airport
for a few minutes when the "engine kind of got quiet",
according to a survivor.
Tourism secretary Richard Gordon, who had just
spearheaded a conference on terrorism and tourism in Manila
and is in London for the World Travel Mart, hailed efforts
of all those who helped in the rescue operations.
"Planes crash and ships sink. These things, regretfully,
happen all over the world. What's important is the way
governments and ordinary citizens respond to such
disasters," Gordon was quoted as saying by the
Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The quick response of fishermen and joggers along Roxas
Boulevard saved many lives.
Flight 585 was popular with tourists from China and Hong
Kong who were bound for Laoag, which has one of the
country's largest casinos and direct air links to Hong
Kong.
The entire fleet of LIA will be grounded pending
investigation. The Air Transport Office said it would
investigate the airline's operations, including pilot
training, cabin crew training and maintenance.
Investigators are focusing on possible engine
failure.