Helicopter crash kills two in Philippines

A Malaysian national and a Filipino were killed Tuesday when a helicopter crashed in a vacant lot about two hours southeast of Manila.

The helicopter was carrying five people, including two Malaysians, when it went down in a grassy area of a residential district in Pililla, a small town in Rizal province, at around 7:27 am (2327 GMT Thursday), officials said.

Rizal provincial police officer Ramjae Pangga told AFP that two passengers, a Malaysian and a Filipino, were killed in the crash.

The pilot, meanwhile, had been critically injured, said Pililla town mayor John Masinsin.

"The three survivors are ... still in shock, especially the pilot," he told AFP.

"They are now en route to a tertiary hospital in (Metro Manila), upon the request of their families," he said, praising the pilot for managing to put the aircraft down in the residential area without hurting anyone.

Pangga added the emergency landing had been forced "because their engine was about to shut down".

An investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is underway.