View of the location after a Philippines Air Pressure Lockheed C-130 airplane carrying troops crashed on touchdown in Patikul, Sulu province, Philippines July 4, 2021.
Armed Forces of the Philippines - Joint Process Pressure Sulu | Reuters
Philippine authorities ordered on Monday an investigation into the crash of an Air Pressure airplane that overshot a runway killing 47 troopers on board and three civilians on the bottom. Dozens extra had been injured.
Some passengers on the Lockheed C-130 jumped free seconds earlier than the airplane crashed and burst into flames over n the weekend, officers cited witnesses as saying.
The plane, carrying not too long ago graduated troops sure for counter-insurgency operations, had been attempting to land at Jolo airport in southern Sulu province.
All 96 passengers on board had been accounted for, with 49 navy personnel injured in addition to 4 civilians on the bottom, navy spokesman Main Basic Edgard Arevalo mentioned.
In a information convention, Arevalo mentioned the airplane was in “excellent situation” and had 11,000 flying hours remaining earlier than its subsequent upkeep was due.
“We’re decided to search out out what actually transpired on this very tragic incident, as a result of in accordance with out there data the plane adopted the required protocols,” he mentioned.
Protection Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ordered an investigation into the nation’s worst navy air catastrophe in practically 30 years.
The navy command mentioned the troopers had been flying to the provincial airport of Jolo from Laguindingan, about 290 miles to the northeast, to be deployed to their battalions.
The military within the sprawling Philippine archipelago has been combating a protracted conflict within the space in opposition to Islamist militants from Abu Sayyaf and different factions.
There was no signal the airplane was introduced down by rebel fireplace, officers mentioned.
“We guarantee our those that we’re clear and the outcomes of the investigation (shall be made) out there when accomplished,” added Arevalo, saying that authorities had been nonetheless trying to find the flight recorders.
The Lockheed plane had solely not too long ago arrived within the Philippines and was one among two supplied by the U.S. authorities by way of the Protection Safety Cooperation Company, a authorities web site mentioned in January.
It quoted an Air Pressure spokesman as saying the plane would increase functionality for heavy airlift missions.
The web site C-130.web mentioned the airplane that crashed had first flown in 1988. The mannequin is a workhorse for armed forces world wide.
The Philippines armed forces have a patchy air security document. Final month a Black Hawk helicopter crashed throughout a coaching mission, killing six individuals.
A Philippines Air Pressure C-130 crash in 1993 killed 30 individuals. A 2008 crash of the civilian variant of the Lockheed airplane flown by the Philippines Air Pressure killed 11 individuals, the Aviation Security Community says.
The nation’s worst airplane crash was that of an Air Philippines Boeing 737 in 2000, which killed 131 individuals.
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