Small plane crashes outside Philippine capital, killing 10

MANILA: Ten people died when a small plane crashed into a house north of the Philippine capital on Saturday, aviation and police officials said.

The Piper 23 Apache single-engined aircraft, operated by Lite Air Express, had just taken off from a small airport nearby, said Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). It was carrying five people, including the pilot, and was en route to Laoag in northwestern Luzon. “All plane occupants died in the aircraft accident with collateral damage to a house with five occupants who also perished,” Apolonio said.

The plane hit the house of an 80-year-old woman, who was inside at the time, police spokesman Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao said in a text message. “The house was burned while the aircraft was totally wrecked,” Bulalacao said. CAAP ordered all aircraft operated by Lite Air Express to be grounded pending the result of investigations.