Philippines Military Plane Crash: Passengers Jumped Off Plane To Save Lives

Officials said on Monday that Philippine troops discovered the last five bodies in a transport crash in the south, raising the death toll in the military's worst plane crash. According to military officials, a Lockheed C-130 Hercules carrying 96 primarily combat units crossed the runway at Holo Airport in Sulu on Sunday. In a noon disaster witnessed by horrified soldiers and villagers, it crashed into a coconut grove across the airport and burned.

The 49 military personnel were rescued by armies, police, and firefighters, including several who jumped off the plane before it exploded and caught fire. According to the military, aircraft parts and debris attacked seven people on the ground, three of whom died.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was one of two refurbished US Air Force planes handed over to the Philippines, Washington's oldest treaty ally in Asia, this year as part of military assistance. The plane had previously transported two-star Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., his wife, and three children from Manila to Cagayan de Oro, in southern Philippines, where he will take over as the new military regional commander on Monday.

Army troops, many of whom were newly trained recruits, boarded the C-130 in Cagayan de Oro for the flight to Sulu, where they would be deployed in the fight against Abu Sayyaf militants in the south. “We're very thankful that we were spared but extremely sad that so many lost their lives,” Brawner told The Associated Press.

Maj. Gen. William Gonzales, the military commander of Sulu, said, "They were supposed to join us in our fight against terrorism." For decades, government forces have fought Abu Sayyaf militants in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu. The cause of the crash was not immediately known, and investigators were searching for the C-130's black boxes, which contained the cockpit voice and flight data recorders.

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, the regional military commander, said it was unlikely that the plane was shot down. “The plane missed the runway and was trying to regain power but failed and crashed,” military chief of staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana told reporters on Sunday.

The Holo runway is shorter than most others in the country, according to an air force official, making it more difficult for pilots to adjust if an aircraft misses the landing spot. Because of a lack of authority to speak publicly, the official, who has flown military aircraft to and from Jolo several times, spoke on the condition of anonymity.