1 Dies as U.S. Plane in Quake Search Crashes
A U.S. Marine plane crashed today while searching for people stranded after a devastating earthquake that killed at least 674 people. One serviceman died in the accident and one was hurt.
President Corazon Aquino, in her first televised statement on the disaster, today defended her administration’s response to the quake. The government has been widely criticized for being slow and disorganized in its rescue and relief operations.
In the mountain resort of Baguio in the heart of the quake zone, two bodies were found today in the ruins of the Hyatt Hotel, where nearly 50 people were believed trapped.
The crash of the observation aircraft occurred near Baguio, 110 miles north of Manila on Luzon island, the U.S. Embassy said.
One crewman was killed and the other was airlifted to a U.S. military hospital. Their names were not immediately released.
In a nationally televised address, Aquino defended her government’s much-criticized relief effort.
“Let us not blame others,” she said. “Let us stop making snide remarks. What we need now is to help each other.”
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