8 Dead After Lion Air Plane Bursts Into Flames While Carrying Medical Supplies

Firemen and rescuers stand beside the remains of a Lion Air, West Wind 24 aircraft after it caught fire during take off at Manila's International Airport in Philippines on March 29, 2020. (AP Photo)

A plane used as an air ambulance by the Philippine health agency burst into flames, killing all eight people on board, after it took off from Manila’s airport on Sunday.

The airplane was being used to fight the CCP virus outbreak. The pilot and two crew members, a doctor, a nurse, a flight medic, and an American and a Canadian passenger died, reported The New York Times, citing airport officials.

“Unfortunately, no passenger survived the accident,” the Manila International Airport Authority said in a statement in confirming the mishap. The runway was closed, and officials have since launched an investigation.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China before it was transmitted worldwide.

“Our fire and medic teams were already dispatched to NAIA Terminal 2 to respond to the plane crash incident involving Lion Air Flight RPC 5880. Eight passengers consisting of a flight medic, nurse, doctor, three flight crew, one patient and its companion were on board,” Richard Gordon, who is a senator and head of the Philippine Red Cross, wrote on Twitter.

Manila airport general manager Ed Monreal said that the plane was heading to Tokyo on a medical mission when it caught on fire, The Associated Press reported. The Civil Aviation Authority said that “technical problem” was behind the accident.

The plane was identified as a twin-jet West Wind 24.