About 17 people were killed while 40 were taken to hospital after a military plane (C-130), transporting troops crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday, the Philippine defense minister said.
Ninety-two people, mostly army personnel, were on board the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft when the C-130 crashed in an attempt to land on Jolo Island in Sulu province around midday on Sunday, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
General Sobejana told reporters that 40 people have been rescued from the burning wreckage of the C-130. “Responders are at the site now and we are praying we can save more lives,” Sobejana said. “It’s very unfortunate. The plane missed the runway, and it was trying to regain power but failed and crashed.”
The ill-fated aircraft had been carrying troops from Cagayan de Oro on the southern island of Mindanao when it “missed the runway” as it tried to land on Jolo.
The C-130 is one of the newly acquired planes by the Philippines air force. The area where the crashed happened is home to one of the huge bases of the Philippines military,” she added. C-130 aircraft, the work horses of the air force, are used to transport troops and supplies. They are also often deployed to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Colonel Edgard Arevalo, a military spokesman, said there was no indication of any attack on the plane, but that a crash investigation had not begun yet and efforts were focused on rescue and treatment.
