The body of a man who hijacked a Philippines passenger jet was found yesterday buried deep in mud after his home-made parachute fell off when he jumped from the plane.
"The body was embedded in the ground with only the hands protruding," the national police chief, Mr Panfilo Lacson, told reporters after the body was discovered near a reservoir at Liabac, east of Manila. A home-made, lavender-coloured parachute was found nearby. The Liabac village chief, Mr Basilio Gesmundo, told local radio he saw a parachute open after a person jumped from the Philippine Airlines Airbus A330 as it flew over his village on Thursday.
"I saw the parachute separate from the person," he said.
The pilot of the hijacked airliner described the hijacker as a jilted husband. He wore a blue bonnet and threatened passengers and crew with a grenade and a gun after he hijacked the domestic flight en route from Davao city to Manila on Thursday.
After robbing the passengers and crew, he forced the pilot to take the plane down to 6,000 feet before jumping out.
Senior superintendent Marcelo Ele, from the airforce aviation security agency, said the man had never skydived before.
"I would say he's an adventurer or a man fantasising about being a skydiver," he said. "Using that kind of parachute would be plain and simple suicide."
None of the money the hijacker stole from fellow passengers and the crew at gunpoint was found in the area. There is still confusion over the man's identity as he had at least two driver's licences on him.
Late on Thursday, a Manila airport official had said the hijacker was arrested by troops. But that was not officially confirmed.
Two police officers in charge of security for Davao and the region were sacked yesterday. After the plane landed on Thursday the chief pilot, Captain Butch Generoso, said the hijacker often appeared close to tears during the hour-long drama. After the drama, a steward said he had pushed the man to help him out of the plane.