1 more soldier in Patikul plane crash dies, toll climbs to 53
MANILA, Philippines — Armed Forces chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana on Tuesday said the number of deaths from the Air Force plane crash in Patikul in Sulu has climbed to 53.
News5 quoted the top military official as saying the latest casualty died from chemical burns on his face. He was among those pulled out alive from the C-130 plane, but later on passed away at a hospital in Zamboanga.
"Perhaps he inhaled the smoke and that aggravated his medical condition," Sobejana said in Filipino on the incident that drew condolences from foreign dignitaries and stirred calls for investigation from lawmakers.
Some 96 military personnel were aboard the C-130 plane when it crashed in the Sulu municipality on July 4. There were 50 soldiers who died, along with three civilians.
The number of individuals injured has also stood at 46, according to Sobejana.
State forces earlier today said they were able to retrieve the plane's black boxes, or its cockpit voice and flight data recorders. It would be sent to the United States for analysis, per the Western Mindanao Command.
"I have no words to capture how I feel about the recent tragedies that befell the AFP," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana wrote on Facebook. "No compensation can repay our soldiers' supreme sacrifice."
President Rodrigo Duterte was in Zamboanga City on Monday, where he honored those who died from the crash.
He also sought to assure that families would get their benefits and other forms of assistance from government. — Christian Deiparine with reports from News5 and Agence France Presse
Follow this thread for updates on search and rescue operations and other updates on the Philippine Air Force C-130 that crashed near Jolo, Sulu on July 4, 2021.
Photo: In this handout photo taken on July 4, 2021 and received from the Philippine military Joint Task Force-Sulu (JTF-Sulu), smoke billows from the wreckage of a Philippine Airforce C-130 transport plane after it crashed near the airport in Jolo town, Sulu province on the southern island of Mindanao.
The widow of Sulu plane crash fatality Cpl. Reynel Matundin is ranting over what is for her slow process in identifying the remains of her husband.
Annie Matundin, a resident of Kabacan town in North Cotabato, tells Catholic Station dxND here Friday that it was only yesterday that police forensic experts sent to Manila the DNA samples collected from her husband’s parents and the victim’s dental records for evaluation.
“It’s almost two weeks now since that plane crash happened. We don’t know what’s next. We are so anxious and sometimes we in the family get so depressed,” she says.
— The STAR/John Unson
The Armed Forces of the Philippines names 19 of the 49 military personnel who died in the C-130 plane crash in Patikul, Sulu last Sunday.
Philippine Air Force
- Major Emmanuel Makalintal
- Major Michael Vincent Benolerao
- First Lieutenant Joseph Hintay
- Technical Sergeant Mark Anthony Agana
- Technical Sergeant Donald Badoy
- Staff Sergeant Jan Neil Macapaz
- Staff Sergeant Michael Bulalaque
- Sergeant Jack Navarro
AFP Medical Corps
- Captain Higello Emeterio
AFP Nurse Corps
- First Lieutenant Sheena Alexandria Tato
Philippine Army
- Sergeant Butch Maestro
- Private First Class Christopher Rollon
- Private First Class Felixzalday Provido
- Private Raymar Carmona
- Private Vic Monera
- Private Mark Nash Lumanta
- Private Jomar Gabas
- Private Marcelino Alquisar
- Private Mel Mark Angana
As of 6 p.m. Monday, the number of fatalities from the Sulu plane crash has risen to 52.
The military says among the fatalities, 49 were military personnel while three were civilians.
The military also raised the number of injured to 51, 47 of which are military personnel while four are civilians.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros condoles with the families of those killed in the C-130 crash in Sulu, saying "their sacrifice and bravery to secure our freedom will never be forgotten."
She also calls for a thorough investigation to ensure "the protection of our brave men and women in uniform in their future deployments."
"Considering this is the second plane crash in two weeks, is a disservice to our armed services if we leave them vulnerable in battle."
The number of fatalities in Sunday's Air Force plane crash in Sulu climbs to 50, Philippine military officials confirm.
Forty-seven military personnel and three civilians were among those who were killed when a C-130 cargo plane crashed in Patikul, Sulu.
Meanwhile, 49 soldiers and four civilians are injured and undergoing treatment.
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