Helicopter crash kills provincial governor, 6 others in Philippines

Philippine chopper crash kills governor, 6 others

MANILA, Philippines — A helicopter carrying a provincial governor and his entourage crashed into houses south of the Philippine capital on Tuesday, killing all four people aboard and three others on the ground, officials said.

The four-seater chopper carrying Quezon provincial Gov. Rafael Nantes, two security personnel and the pilot crashed shortly after takeoff in Lucena city, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Manila, leaving three houses in flames, said provincial police chief Erickson Velasquez.

Two bodies were found inside one house and another was retrieved outside.

“The chopper was totally crushed and burned, while the bodies we retrieved were almost totally burned beyond recognition,” Velasquez said.

He said witnesses told police the chopper took off nicely then started to swerve and the propeller suddenly stopped.

The cause was not immediately clear.

Nantes’ term as Quezon governor was supposed to end June 30, after he lost his May 10 re-election bid. He was an ally of Sen. Benigno Aquino III, the apparent winner of the presidential election.