Military plane crashes in the Philippines and bursts into flames killing at least 17 people

At least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured after a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing and burst into flames. 

The incident happened shortly before noon on Sunday in Bangkal village in the mountainous town of Patikul in the southern Sulu province, where the plane missed the runway, according to an official. 

‘So far 40 wounded and injured were rescued and 17 bodies recovered. Rescue and recovery is ongoing,’ Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement, adding that 92 people had been onboard the Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft.

Those onboard included three pilots and five crew – the rest were army personnel, he said. The pilots survived but were seriously injured.

Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the plane had ‘missed the runway trying to regain power.’   

A military spokesman, Colonel Edgard Arevalo, 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.

The crash happened 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. 

At least 17 people have been killed and dozens injured after a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing and burst into flames. The incident happened on Sunday in Patikul in the southern Sulu province, where the plane missed the runway, according to an official

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 into the sky above houses located near the crash site

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 into the sky above houses located near the crash site.

Sobejana said in a message to Reuters news agency 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. 

The plane was transporting troops from the southern Cagayan de Oro city, many of them had recently graduated from basic military training, AFP reported.     

The airport in Sulu’s main town of Jolo is located a few miles from a mountainous area where troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf. Some militants there have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group.

Onlookers watch smoke rising following the fatal crash of the plane, which had been carrying 92 people

The crash happened 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

The United States and the Philippines have separately blacklisted Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organisation for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. 

It has been considerably weakened by years of government offensives but remains a threat.              

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.

The accident comes after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed last month during a night-time training flight, killing all six on board.

Three pilots and three airmen died when their S70-i went down near the Crow Valley training range north of Manila, prompting the grounding of the entire fleet.

The country ordered 16 of the multi-role aircraft from a Polish firm that made them under licence from the Sikorsky division of US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin. 

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 [File photo]