Eight dead after jet carrying medical supplies bursts into flames in Philippines

Eight people were killed on Sunday after a plane delivering medical supplies crashed in Manila, the Philippines.

The West Wind 24 business jet was on a medical evacuation mission and carrying items to Tokyo's Haneda Airport when it crashed at the end of the runway at around 8pm local time.

Footage from onlookers shows how the plane, operated by Lionair Inc, burst into flames.

Officials said it was unable to takeoff and there are not believed to be any survivors.

Ed Monreal, General Manager at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, said the casualties included one American, one Canadian, and six Filipinos. They were two crew members and six passengers.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said in a statement that the aircraft "reportedly encountered a technical problem'' before takeoff.

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CAAP Deputy Director General for Operations Captain Donald Mendoza said that the Manila control tower had expressed alarm at the inability of the aircraft to take flight.

A day before the crash, the plane flew had flown to Iloilo in the Philippines to deliver medical supplies.

Fire crews extinguished the blaze after one hour. Investigators are now at the scene to find the cause of the crash.

In September 2019, another Lionair plane crashed in Calamba City, killing at least nine individuals. CAAP boss Mendoza said that authorities could now ground the company's fleet of helicopters and executive jets.

He said: ''Right now, the initial step that we are looking into is grounding the whole fleet. It's quite alarming, but we are looking into the records deeply.

''Definitely, we will have a thorough investigation into this, and then we will advise the operator of the actions or steps to be taken.''