MANILA: A pilot and an aircraft mechanic were rescued after a small plane crashed off El Nido town in Palawan province on Friday, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said.

Citing information from the Philippine air force, the PCG said the privately-owned Cessna plane went down shortly after taking off from an airport in Palawan around 1 p.m. local time.

The plane, carrying live fish, was on its way to an airport in Cavite province, southwest of capital Manila, when its engine conked out and crashed into the waters off El Nido.

The two are safe, the PCG added. Meanwhile, the Philippine Airlines (PAL) said its turboprop aircraft veered off the runway at Mactan Cebu International Airport in Cebu province in the central Philippines around 11:39 a.m. local time on Friday.

“All 29 passengers and four crew members (two pilots and two cabin crew members) are safe and were able to disembark from the plane using the aircraft’s airstairs,” the PAL said in a statement.

The accident temporarily halted flights from Manila to Cebu province but has since resumed after the turboprop plane was towed away, the PAL added. Enditem