Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has denied reports that the wreck of a Malaysian aircraft has been found in the town of South Ubian Island in Tawi-Tawi province.
Rear Admiral Primitivo Gopo, commander of Joint Task Group Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi (ZamBaSulTa), said they immediately deployed their water assets to the island town of South Ubian to verify information that the wreckage of an aircraft with the Malaysian flag painted on it has been found.
However, after hours of checking the area, soldiers from the Philippine Navy did not find any aircraft wreckage.
Gopo said they also coordinated with local officials and the Philippine National Police (PNP), but they also had no information about the alleged wreckage, which was reported by a Filipino to the Malaysian government.
According to a report on The Straits Times on Sun, Oct 11, police in the Malaysian state of Sabah received a report from a Filipino man who spotted the wreckage with human remains at Ubian Island a few days ago. The man was not named in the report. He was only described as “an audio visual technician in his 40s.”
In the report, the man said his nephew and a few others were hunting for birds when they spotted the wreckage on the island. The group managed to get near the wreckage and found human bones. They also took a flag they found in the wreckage before they left.
The man said he informed the police as the wreckage could be that of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, which disappeared in March 2014.
MH370 was carrying more than 200 crew and passengers, mostly Chinese nationals, when it disappeared.
Last July, a wing component, known as a flaperon, of the said aircraft was found in the coastline of the Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
The Malaysian government confirmed last month that it was part of the aircraft’s wing, based on the paint color and the maintenance record of the airline company.
Text: RJ Rosalado, ABS-CBN News Zamboanga
Photo: Google Maps
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
