Cavite
A Philippine navy training helicopter crashed near a seaside city, killing the two pilots on board and narrowly missing a fruit market and neighbourhood, where some horrified residents ran for their lives, officials and witnesses said on Thursday. Nobody on the ground was injured when the Robinson R22 helicopter crashed near early-morning marketgoers and residents in Cavite City, 21 kilometres (13 miles) south of Manila.
Military spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla said the cause of the crash was not immediately known, but the two pilots had executed emergency procedures. Joann Nicolas Laristan said she was hanging her laundry when she saw the helicopter flying unusually low near a church before it collided with two trees beside an empty workers’ shed about 50 meters (164 feet) from her home. Other residents said they were roused from sleep by the loud noise of the crash.
Several residents expressed relief that the helicopter did not hit their homes or the nearby public market, which was starting to draw a crowd after daybreak. Police investigator Armangel Genuino told AP the helicopter took off from Sangley Airport for a routine training flight around Cavite province and crashed less than 10 minutes later.
