Ten people were killed when a small plane crashed into a house north of Manila on Saturday, police and aviation officials said.
The Piper 23 Apache twin-engine aircraft crashed shortly after taking off in Plaridel town in Bulacan province, killing all five aboard as well as three children, a mother and a grandmother from the family in the house, said Superintendent Julio Lizardo.
"We had to dig through the rubble to find the bodies," he said, explaining why the toll rose from an initial figure of seven dead.
"The house was burned while the aircraft was totally wrecked," police spokesman Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao said.
Officials declined to say what may have caused the crash of the plane, operated by a local charter company.
Eric Apolonio, spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), said the aircraft, which was operated by Lite Air Express, was bound for northern Laoag city.
All aircraft operated by Lite Air Express were grounded pending investigations, Apolonio said.
