Juba, South Sudan,
July 04, 2021 – A cargo plane transporting troops has reportedly crashed in the southern Philippines killing 29 people and leaving 50 injured according to officials.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said at least 92 people, most of them army personnel, were on board the C-130 Hercules aircraft when it crashed in an attempt to land on Jolo Island in Sulu province around mid-day.
Another official, Geral Cirilito Sobejana told journalists earlier that 40 people were rescued from the burning wreckage of the C-130.
“Responders are at the site now. We are praying we can save more lives,” Sobejana was quoted by Al Jazeera to have said. “It’s very unfortunate. The plane missed the runway, and it was trying to regain power but failed and crashed.”
Speaking from Manila on Sunday, an international journalist said helicopters were deployed to transport the injured to a nearby hospital.
“The C-130 is one of the newly acquired planes by the Philippines air force. The area where the crash happened is home to one of the huge bases of the Philippines military,” the reporter said.
C-130 aircraft, the workhorses of the air force, are used to transport troops and supplies. They are also often deployed to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Initial pictures released by the military showed the tail section of the cargo plane with other parts of the plane burned and scattered in pieces in an environment surrounded by coconut trees.
Soldiers and other rescuers with stretchers are seen dashing into and from the smoke-shrouded crash site.
No planned attack
Colonel Edgard Arevalo, a military spokesperson said there was no indication of any planned attack on the plane, but that a crash investigation had not begun and efforts were focused on rescue and treatment.
The accident comes after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed last month during a night-time training flight, killing all six onboard.
