Cabinet men cheat death in plane mishap

TACLOBAN—A Global Express Bombardier jet carrying 11 government officials skidded off the runway of the Tacloban City airport, shortly after Pope Francis’ plane took off from the same airport.

Police regional director Chief Supt. Asher Dolina said all the people onboard the plane are safe.

Reports said those on the plane include Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma and Congresswoman Josephine Veronique Lacson-Noel.

They were among a group of senior officials in Tacloban to accompany the pope as he visited survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest storm every recorded on land, which killed 7,350 people in 2013.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, who was on a separate plane, said the first plane was already taxiing and ready to take off when something happened.

“I saw it taxiing down the runway, then it overshot,” Tolentino later told a radio station.

He said his plane cannot take off since fire trucks and debris are blocking the runway.

Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who was at the airport, said he heard what seemed like an explosion from one of the tires before the plane skidded.

His cousin, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez, also heard the explosion.

The incident happened less than an hour after Pope Francis left Tacloban airport via a Philippine Airlines plane.

The pope was forced to cut short his trip to the area because of intense rains and strong winds from Tropical Storm Mekkhala, which was less than 150 kilometres (less than 100 miles) from Tacloban as the pope gave mass.

The pope’s plane took off from Tacloban shortly after 1:00 pm (0500 GMT) and arrived safely back in the capital of Manila.

PAGASA earlier hoisted Storm Signal No. 2 over Northern Samar, Eastern Samar and Samar and Leyte including Biliran due to Tropical Storm Amang.