THE six NAIA baggage loaders and three ground staff sought shelter from the rain under the Airbus 320. Unwittingly, they were running out of the frying pan and literally into the fire. Moments later, the plane was hit by a lightning.  Connie Bungag, head of the MIAA’s media affairs division, said of the six employees, two belonged to PAL while the rest are from Excellent, a manpower company providing ramp staff for the airports.                                                              

The employes were identified by Bungag as equipment operators Gil Alamudin and Panfilo Camilan; baggage loaders Miguel Pizon, Erman Collantes and Angelito de Leon and security guard Noel Marasigan.                                  

Citing sketchy reports from the MIAA nurses, it is reportedly still unclear if the cause of the injuries were indeed due to lightning, although all of them have been declared out of danger.                                                                                         

Bungag said the incident happened before 8 p.m. Saturday while the Airbus 320 was parked at Bay 39 of the said airport terminal and had just arrived from Thailand.

With Milenette Sarah Uy & Adrian Stewart Co