Adventist Medical Helicopter Disappears in Palawan, Philippines
6 March 2023 |
A medical helicopter working for Philippines Adventist Medical Aviation Services (PAMAS) went missing on March 1, 2023, after attempting a med-evac mission in the Philippines. According to ANN News, the missing helicopter was piloted by Daniel Lui and carried nurse Janelle Alder and two others en route to a hospital in the Palawan province when they failed to arrive at their destination.
Search and rescue teams have been dispatched to find Lui’s helicopter. The Philippine Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Balabac LGU, among other entities, are conducting search operations in the area where the radar position of the helicopter was last seen.
Lui was an experienced pilot, working with PAMAS over seven years, and was familiar with the area where he went missing. The cause of the helicopter’s disappearance is still unknown, but family and friends are anxiously awaiting news. ABC 7 News reported that the only discovery so far had been a pair of shoes, possibly belonging to Alder, the nurse on the flight:
“A pair of shoes was found by a local from Mangsee who was with the boats who were helping with the search yesterday. They were found in between Kamiaran and Lumbucan island. According to close friends and roommates, the shoes look like nurse Janelle’s. The search is still on going by air and by sea. Thank you for the continued prayers and support.”
A world-wide prayer vigil was hosted on the Michigan Conference YouTube page over the weekend, with Pastor Ted Wilson and his wife, Nancy, praying for a miracle. “Our hearts go out to all of you there, without sleep, working diligently to try and find some vestige–some indication–that our dear friends are still alive,” said Wilson.
PAMAS released a video discussing the incident and what measures are being employed to find the missing helicopter. Those wishing to donate to cover the high costs of fuel being used by search planes can skip to the end of the video where PAMAS’ account numbers are given for donations. PAMAS president Dwayne Harris ended the video by saying, “We’re very grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve received, both emotionally and financially… and for the support everyone has been giving to keep us actively working and searching out there.”