Six dead as helicopter on relief mission crashes in Agusan del Sur

Manila, Philippines – Troops have recovered six bodies from the wreckage site of a Super Huey helicopter that went down while on a humanitarian mission as Typhoon Tino tore through the Visayas and parts of Mindanao, the military said on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

On Tuesday night, the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said the search and rescue operation “led to the recovery of six bodies believed to be those of the pilot and crew members of the ill-fated Super Huey helicopter.”

The statement withheld the identity of the dead pending the relaying of information to the families.

The helicopter, an asset of the Philippine Air Force, was en route to the provincial capital Butuan City when it crashed in an area near the headquarters of the 60th Infantry Battalion in Agusan del Sur.

“The aircraft was part of a flight of four helicopters that had departed from Davao to Butuan to conduct a rapid damage assessment and needs analysis mission,” read an air force statement released earlier.

“Communication with the helicopter was lost, which immediately prompted the launch of a search and rescue operation,” it said.

The military said troops have secured the crash site, and an investigation is underway to determine what caused the crash.

“Tino” made four landfalls so far in Silago in Leyte, Borbon in Cebu, Sagay City in Negros Occidental, and San Lorenzo in Guimaras, according to state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

It is expected to leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility Wednesday evening or Thursday.