2 hurt as trainer plane crashes in Davao: police

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Xinhua) - Two persons were injured when a light trainer aircraft crashed in the southern Philippines today, police said.

Pilot Rotelio Fuentes and his student identified as a certain Fidel were rescued by villagers as their Cessna light plane went down in Kasilak village, Panabo City in Mindanao's Davao del Norte province around 10 a.m. local time, said Samuel Gadingan, provincial police chief.

The aircraft, owned by local flight school Aerowurkz Aviation, was on a training flight when its engines allegedly malfunction, causing it to nosedive and crash, Gadingan said.

"The pilot and his students suffered injuries and were rushed to a local hospital in Davao City. The aircraft sustained considerable damage. Aviation authorities were now on site to conduct an investigation," the police official said.

Accidents involving light planes are common in agricultural southern Mindanao region, particularly in Davao del Norte province where banana plantations employ aging light plane to apply pesticides to crops.