A plane used as an air ambulance by the Philippine health department to carry coronavirus supplies crashed on Sunday, killing 8 people on board.
The plane carrying emergency medical supplies to Japan amid the coronavirus outbreak crashed and exploded.
According to the Manila International Airport Authority, the WestWind 24 aircraft was taking off from Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport when it burst into flames and crashed adding that it killed all eight persons onboard.
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The light aircraft was carrying eight people, including the pilot and two crew members, a doctor, a nurse, a flight medic and an American and a Canadian passenger, according to local radio reports, citing airport officials.
“There were no survivors,” Manila airport general manager Ed Monreal said at a news conference.
Two passengers were a 63-year-old Canadian man and a 58-year-old Filipino-American woman.
Senator Richard Gordon, the head of the Philippine Red Cross, said that medical teams had been dispatched to the airport to respond to the crash involving Flight 5880.
He said: “Eight passengers — consisting of a flight medic, a nurse, doctor, three flight crew, one patient and its companion were onboard,
“The airplane caught fire and exploded as it was taking off the NAIA runway 24, The fire was enormous.”