MAY 14 (Reuters) — The remains of a Filipino diplomat who was killed in a helicopter crash in Pakistan were brought to an army base in Manila on Wednesday (May 13).
A Pakistan military plane brought the body of Filipino Ambassador Domingo Lucenario Jr., who was among the seven people who died on board a Pakistan military helicopter when it crashed in the Gilgit region on Friday (May 8).
Family and relatives watched as honor guards carried the flag-draped coffin.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson Charles Jose said he believed the crash was an accident.
“All indications point out that it’s mechanical. Even the witnesses who survived the crash, they are saying that the cause is mechanical failure,” he said.
The Pakistan government has said the helicopter crash was a result of engine failure, dismissing a Pakistani Taliban claim that the militants shot it down.
Family members of Lucenario thanked people for the support.
“We are saddened and we miss our father every single day. But we are all overwhelmed by all the love that people have shown us, and all the stories that they have shared,” said Lucenario’s daughter, Nikki.
Lucenario was a career diplomat and appointed by President Benigno S. Aquino III as the ambassador to Pakistan in 2012. (Manila, Philippines)