Plane on Medical Evacuation Mission Crashes in Philippines, Killing 8 People on Board

MANILA – Tragedy struck the Philippines Sunday as frontline medical workers in the battle against COVID-19 perished in a tragic airplane crash.

All eight people on board a Lion Air plane were killed when the aircraft burst into flames while attempting to take off from Manila's International Airport. 

The plane was on a medical mission to bring a patient to Japan. The passengers consisted of a Canadian, a Filipino-American doctor, 2 Filipino medical workers, 3 flight crew and the patient's companion. 

All the passengers are seen on social media posts, wearing masks and protective gowns but it is still to be confirmed whether the passenger was COVID-19 infected.

Meanwhile, Operation Blessing Philippines staff continue to distribute personal protective equipment to hospitals, care kits to checkpoint personnel and food packs to poor families who have lost their means of livelihood in the COVID-19 crisis.