According to officials, a small aircraft carrying four individuals has crashed in the central Philippines, and on Sunday, rescuers were conducting a search for any survivors.

In a statement, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported that the Cessna 340 airplane disappeared early on Saturday morning soon after taking off from Bicol International Airport in Albay province, which is located south of the capital, on its way to Manila.

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As per the aviation regulator, the aircraft had two passengers on board, along with a pilot and an additional crew member.

Eric Apolonio, spokesperson for the CAAP, informed AFP that a search-and-rescue team has discovered a potential crash location in the vicinity of the airport.

“The problem is the weather is bad and it hampers the visibility of the ground search,” he said.

Cedric Daep, an official from the Albay disaster management office, stated that fragments of a Cessna airplane were discovered close to the crater of the Mayon volcano, which is presently active. However, authorities are still in the process of verifying if it is the same plane that disappeared on Saturday.

Daep mentioned that they were awaiting authorization to access the crash site, owing to the possibility of the active volcano erupting at any moment.

“There might be a sudden ash explosion and we could be added to the casualties,” Daep told local radio DZBB. “We are not discounting the possibility that they could still be alive,” Daep said.