They removed the six Germans from the plane a moment before it sank. "While they were rescuing the Germans, Captain Mark Lewis of the United States Army hovered overhead in an aeroplane and watched the operations. Captain Lewis, who was sent by Manila authorities to make a search for the missing German plane, which failed to arrive on schedule, immediately flashed a radio message to Manila asking that an amphibian be sent to pick up the Germans.
Although he witnessed the crash and saw the Filipino fishermen rescue the Germans, he was unable to help because he was flying a land plane. He kept hovering over the wreck, however, and sent radio messages to Manila informing the world that the Germans had been saved.
The Condor sank fast but was not completely submerged in rife water. Witnesses reported that the top of the submerged Condor was visible from the shore. The plane sank about 100 feet from the shore and it was expected that the "authorities would be able to salvage the airliner at low tide.
The German airmen apparently were making an effort to land on the beach, but they were prevented from carrying out their hope for an emergency landing and were forced to crash into the shallow waters because the engine faded.
Hundreds of curious Filipinos lined the shore to witness the usual spectacle of the submerged plane. fishermen brought out their boats and sailed alongside the submerged airliner.
The authorities took steps to place a guard round the plane because it was feared that souvenir hunters might damage the aircraft.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.