PAMPANGA, Philippines — A Philippine Navy (PN) helicopter crashed near Cavite City Public Market on Thursday morning, killing two pilots, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.
“A PN Robinson R22 trainer helicopter conducted an emergency landing this morning in the vicinity near of Cavite City Public Market,” AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters in a Viber message.
“The two navy aviators were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment but succumbed to their injuries,” she said.
Padilla said families of the pilots have yet to be informed about their death. Hence, their names were withheld even if the Police Regional Office (PRO) 4A already identified them in a statement.
She also said an investigation to determine the cause of the incident is underway.
It was not clear where the helicopter was going as authorities are yet to reveal more information regarding the incident as of writing.
But police said the deceased are a 36-year-old male lieutenant and a 27-year-old female co-pilot, who are both assigned at the Naval Air Wing Sangley Point Cavite City.
Police also said the two were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment, but the male victim was declared dead on arrival while his co-pilot died while being attended to at a hospital in Cavite.