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Philippine military plane crash death toll rises to 50
Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the fate of all 96 passengers of the air force plane has been determined, with 49 military personnel escaping with injuries, according to the report.
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An Israeli C-130 Hercules plane launches parachutes during a graduation ceremony of Israeli Air Force pilots at the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, near the southern city of Beer Sheva, on June 24, 2021. (AFP/Jack Guez)
T
he Philippine military said Monday 47 people perished in an aircraft crash in the south of the nation a day earlier, according to Reuters, with three victims on the ground taking the total death toll to 50.
Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the fate of all 96 passengers of the air force plane has been determined, with 49 military personnel escaping with injuries, according to the report.
Four civilians on the ground were also injured, the Department of National Defense said Sunday, according to the report.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has ordered a full investigation into the crash of the Philippines Air Force C-130 transport plane on Jolo Island in Sulu Province as soon as the rescue operation is completed, he said Sunday.
A recovery operation has begun and military officials traveled to the crash site to investigate, according to local media reports.
The plane crashed and burst into flames several kilometers from the airport in Jolo as it was preparing to land, local media reports said. The aircraft was carrying army personnel from the capital Manila to Jolo via Mindanao Island in the south.
The aircraft had been delivered by the United States earlier this year under a military aid program.
Jolo is one of the areas in the country's restive south where the Abu Sayyaf Islamic militant group operates. The group is linked to many kidnappings and bombings in the region.
The troops aboard the plane were being ferried for deployment to the troubled region.
