MANILA, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Divers have recovered the body of
the Philippines' interior minister from the wreckage of a light
aircraft that crashed into the sea near the central island of
Masbate three days ago, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The body of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was pulled out
from the six-seat Piper Seneca plane that had been carrying him,
Transportation and Communication Secretary Mar Roxas told
reporters.
The bodies of the two pilots, one of whom was a Nepalese
flight student, were still being removed from the wreckage,
Roxas said.
"Sad as it is, we are now in search and recovery and
retrieval," Roxas said.
Robredo, part of Aquino's cabinet since he took office in
June 2010 and a member of the ruling political party, was on his
way home to Camarines Sur province from Cebu island when his
plane malfunctioned On Saturday, forcing the pilots to try to
land on Masbate. Witnesses said they saw the plane crash into
the sea about 500 metres from the airport runway.
(Reporting by Rosemarie Francisco; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)