A medical evacuation chopper with 5 persons on board was reported missing Wednesday morning while on its way to a hospital in Palawan province, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said.
CAAP said the Alouette helicopter, with registry no. N45VX and operated by Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services, left Mangsee Island for the Southern Palawan Provincial Hospital in Brooke’s Point.
The helicopter, which picked up a female patient, who complained of abdominal pain, went missing at around 9 a.m., the CAAP said.
Those on board the helicopter were the pilot, a nurse, the female patient, and her spouse and sibling, said Balabac disaster official Alsendre Hassan.
The Philippine Coast Guard has already joined the search efforts and deployed BRP Malabrigo (MRRV-4402).
The chopper is the third aircraft in as many months reported missing this year in the country.
A Cessna 340 plane was reported missing on Feb. 18, after taking off from Bicol International Airport in Albay. The wreckage was found along the slope of Mayon Volcano.
Another Cessna plane, which had gone missing after taking off from Isabela on Jan. 24, has yet to be found.