At least 45 dead in Philippine Air Force plane crash

(CNN) – At least 45 people have died after a Philippine Air Force plane crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday. Meanwhile, rescue and recovery operations continue amid the worst military air disaster in the country in decades.

The C-130 military plane was transporting troops from Cagayan de Oro, in Mindanao, to Sulu province when it lost the runway on the island of Jolo, CNN affiliate CNN Philippines reported, citing the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. (AFP), Cirilito Sobejana.

Smoke rises from the crash site in the town of Patikul, Jolo, in the southern Philippines, on July 4, 2021.

The plane, which was carrying more than 90 military personnel and crew, crashed in the nearby village of Patikul at 11:30 am local time on Sunday (11:30 pm ET). It is unknown so far if there were casualties on the ground.

“Minutes after the accident, troops and civilian volunteers came to the scene for search and rescue. According to eyewitnesses, several soldiers were seen jumping from the aircraft before it crashed to the ground, saving themselves from the explosion caused by the accident, “according to a press release from the Joint Task Force Sulu.

Images from a local television channel appear to show the wreckage of the burning plane and thick smoke billowing out of the town. In the images of the accident, a large column of smoke is seen rising through the palm trees to the sky.

Some civilians killed after the Philippine plane crash

Among the dead are 42 soldiers and three civilians. Of the 53 injured, 49 are military and four civilians, according to AFPs. Dead and injured civilians were on the ground at the crash site.

At least 50 people were hospitalized after the accident, and some were evacuated to the city of “Zamboanga for further treatment,” according to the statement.

Five soldiers who were aboard the plane are still missing, according to the army.

Joint Task Force Sulu Commander William N Gonzales said the personnel traveling on the plane “were due to report to their battalions today. They should join us in our fight against terrorism, “he added.

The Philippine Air Force told CNN in a statement that the plane was carrying 96 people, many of whom were members of the military reporting to work.

Military and civilian firefighters were deployed to put out the fire and rescue operations are focused on getting the survivors out of the crash site, according to CNN Philippines.

The C-130 military plane was transporting troops to Sulu province.

Worst Philippine military aircraft catastrophe in 30 years

It is the worst military air disaster in the country in about 30 years, Reuters reported. In 1993, a Philippine Air Force C-130 crashed, killing 30 people.

Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft had recently arrived in the Philippines. It was one of the two aircraft granted by the United States Government’s military funding program, according to was announced in february on a US government website.

Rescue teams search for bodies at the place where the plane crashed.

Sunday’s crash comes weeks after a newly acquired S-70i Black Hawk utility helicopter crashed during a night flight about 100 kilometers north of the capital Manila. The six people on board died, according to CNN Philippines.

It was about one of the newest combat utility helicopters acquired by the AFPs in their attempt to modernize their fleet, according to a Philippine government website.

The military had to reinforce the battalions fighting against Abu Sayyaf, a Sulu-based Filipino jihadist group that has been involved in bombings and piracy activities for decades. The group proclaimed its allegiance to ISIS in 2014.