An inquiry is underway at Ninoy Aquino International Airport after human remains were found inside a waste processing site servicing arriving aircraft.
Maintenance workers conducting routine operations at a sewage treatment area on Feb. 25 came across what was later determined to be a fetus believed to be around eight months old. The material had been transported to the facility as part of the standard disposal of aircraft waste.
Airport security officers and medical responders were alerted immediately. Early assessments raised the possibility that the fetus may have been abandoned after a birth occurred during a flight.
Investigators are examining the likelihood that the remains were flushed through an airplane lavatory system. Under normal procedures, lavatory waste is extracted during ground servicing and delivered to designated treatment facilities, where the remains were ultimately detected.
To determine where the waste originated, airport officials are scrutinizing aircraft servicing records alongside passenger lists. Authorities have narrowed their review to five flights operated by a domestic carrier that landed at Terminal 1 in the early hours of Wednesday.
