Philippine military plane carrying 85 people crashes

Cotabato, Philippines – A military plane carrying at least 85 people “missed the runway” and crashed in the restive southern Philippines on Sunday, the armed forces chief said.

So far 40 people have been rescued from the burning wreckage of the C-130 transport aircraft, which was trying to land on Jolo island in Sulu province when the incident happened at 11:30 am local time, said Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

“While transporting our troops from Cagayan de Oro (on the southern island of Mindanao), it missed the runway, trying to regain power but it didn’t make it,” Sobejana told local media, describing the accident as “very unfortunate.”

“Responders are at the site now, we are praying we can save more lives,” Sobejana said.

Sobejana said the 40 rescued were being treated at the nearby 11th Infantry Division hospital.

Many of the passengers had recently graduated from basic military training and were being deployed to the restive island as part of a joint task force fighting terrorism in the Muslim-majority region.

The military has a heavy presence in the southern Philippines where militant groups, including the kidnap-for-ransom outfit Abu Sayyaf, operate.

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 multirole aircraft from a Polish firm that made them under license from the Sikorsky division of U.S. defense manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Eleven have been delivered since late 2020.