Philippine Navy Aircraft Crashes With 85 Troopers Aboard

MANILA — A Philippine Air Pressure aircraft with 85 troopers aboard crashed on the southern island of Jolo on Sunday, officers mentioned. A minimum of 17 individuals have been killed, and it was feared that the toll would climb.

The top of the Philippine armed forces, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, mentioned the aircraft missed a runway whereas making an attempt to land. He mentioned it crashed close to a village referred to as Bangkal within the city of Patikul, a stronghold of the Muslim militant group generally known as Abu Sayyaf. He mentioned 40 individuals had been rescued.

“We’re doing our greatest effort to rescue the passengers, our floor commanders are already there,” Normal Sobejana mentioned. “They’re making an attempt their greatest to place out the fireplace. To this point now we have 40 individuals rescued and being handled.”

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, a high commander within the area, mentioned 17 our bodies had been discovered.

Along with the troopers, the aircraft, a C-130 Hercules, was carrying 5 navy autos. The C-130 is an American-built turboprop that’s generally utilized by militaries world wide and is usually saved in service for many years.

The Philippine navy has been making an attempt to modernize its growing older fleet. Earlier this month, a newly acquired Black Hawk helicopter crashed throughout an evening coaching flight, killing six individuals onboard.

That crash occurred about two months after one other helicopter, an MG-520 assault chopper, crashed within the central Philippines, killing its pilot. And in January, a refurbished UH-1H Vietnam Warfare-era Huey helicopter additionally crashed within the south, killing seven troopers.