A military plane has crashed, leaving 17 dead.
Newsone Nigeria reports that no fewer than 17 people were killed when a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing in the south of the country and broke up in flames on Sunday, July 4, 2021.
This online news platform understands that the military plane crash is the country’s worst military air disaster in nearly 30 years.
A report monitored on Reuters by Newsone, says that the Lockheed C-130 transport military plane crashed at Patikul in Sulu province, in the far south of the archipelago nation where the army has been fighting a long war against Islamist militants from the Abu Sayyaf and other factions.
It was learned that 17 bodies had been recovered and 40 injured had been rescued so far after the military plane crash, Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.
Newsone Nigeria understands that most of the 92 people aboard the military plane, were troops flying from Laguindingan Airport, some 460 km (290 miles) to the northeast.
“Rescue and recovery is ongoing,” Lorenzana said.
Pictures from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from wreckage strewn among trees as men in combat uniform milled around. A large column of black smoke rose from the coconut palms into the blue sky, the report added.
Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the plane had “missed the runway trying to regain power.”
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 and efforts were focussed on rescue and treatment.
Military chief Sobejana said in a message to Reuters that the plane had crashed a few kilometres (miles) from Jolo airport at 11:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) and had been carrying troops.
“We are currently attending to the survivors who were immediately brought to the 11th Infantry Division station hospital in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu,” he said.
