Death toll in Philippines plane crash rises to 50
Jul 05, 2021
Manila [Philippines], July 5 : The death toll in the Philippines Air Force plane crash has mounted to 50 after more bodies recovered on Monday.
The deceased include 47 soldiers and 3 civilians, reported The Manila Times.
This is one of the worst military air disasters that occurred in the southern Philippines.
The C-130 military plane was transporting troops from Cagayan de Oro, in Mindanao, to Sulu province when it missed the runway on the island of Jolo, CNN reported, citing Armed Forces Chief Cirilito Sobejana.
The plane, which was carrying almost 92 military personnel and crew, crashed into nearby Patikul village at 11.30 am (0330 GMT) on Sunday.
Minutes after the crash, troops and civilian volunteers rushed to the site for search and rescue. Some soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash, a press release by Joint Task Force Sulu reported citing eyewitnesses.
Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana had said that the plane was carrying 92 personnel on board, including three pilots and five crew members. The rest were army personnel reporting for duty, Lorenzana said.
