MANILA, Philippines (Update 2, 1:11 p.m.) — The number of fatalities in the military plane crash in Patikul, Sulu increased to 50 on Monday morning as authorities concluded the search for five missing individuals and shifted to retrieval of aircraft parts.
The crash left 47 military personnel aboard the C-130 Hercules transport plane and three civilians on the ground dead, Major Gen. Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said in an interview with dzMM Teleradyo.
Related Stories
Forty-nine soldiers and four civilians were injured, Arevalo added. As of Monday morning, all 96 soldiers and crew who were aboard have been accounted for.
The Philippine Air Force plane crashed in the town of Patikul and burst into flames Sunday after missing the runway while trying to land.
The AFP official said the challenge is to identify the fatalities because the remains are “charred.”
“We are assuring they are going to receive the necessary support and assistance that they deserve,” Arevalo said in a separate press briefing.
Most of the passengers of the plane had recently graduated from basic military training and were being deployed to the restive island.
“They were supposed to serve under the 11th Infantry Division in Sulu… They were supposed to augment forces there,” Arevalo said in Filipino, adding an investigation team is on its way to the province.
‘Tip-top’ condition
Arevalo said that while the aircraft was not brand new, it was in a “very good situation.”
The second-hand plane was acquired from the United States and delivered to the Philippines in January this year.
“There is no truth to rumor this aircraft is defective. It’s in tip-top shape and the pilots are all rated, seasoned and experienced in flying this kind of aircraft,” he said.
Authorities are now conducting retrieval operations for the parts of the military plane, particularly the flight recorder or "black box".
“We are interested as our kababayans to determine what happened. This is not just about taxpayers’ money. This is about lives and property of people that we all hold dear, that we consider primary assets and resource in our armed forces,” Arevalo said.
C-130s have been the workhorses of the Philippine Air Force for decades. The aircraft has been used to transport troops and supplies, and to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
The Sulu crash follows a training mishap in late June where a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a night flight, killing six people on board. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Agence France Presse