BREAKING: Military Plane Carrying 96 People Crashes in the Philippines, 45 Confirmed Dead
- Tragedy struck in the Philippines on Sunday, July 4, as a military plane with about 100 people on board crashed
- At least 45 people, including 42 military personnel, have been confirmed dead in the tragic accident
- Meanwhile, at least 40 people have also been rescued and rushed via a helicopter to a nearby hospital
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Jolo island, the Philippines - A Philippine military aircraft carrying at least 96 people has crashed and burst into flames after missing the runway, killing at least 45 people and leaving dozens injured.
Al Jazeera reported that the death toll includes 42 military personnel who were on board the C-130 Hercules transport plane which was trying to land on Jolo island in Sulu province on Sunday, July 4.
Source: Getty Images
Citing the military, the newspaper stated that the three pilots who were on board the aircraft survived the crash but were seriously injured.
Legit.ng gathers that that at least 40 people have been rescued. Helicopters were reportedly deployed to transport the injured to a nearby hospital.
Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana reacts
Reacting to the development via a statement posted on Facebook, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the plane was carrying nearly a hundred soldiers including the crew.
He said:
"I have ordered a full investigation to get to the bottom of the incident, as soon as the rescue and recovery operation is completed.
"As we commiserate with the pilots, crew, and passengers of the ill-fated aircraft as well as their families, I ask everyone to join us in praying for them."
10 soldiers feared dead as Kenyan military helicopter crashes
Meanwhile, a chopper belonging to Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recently crashed in Ngong, Kajiado county.
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A brief statement from KDF confirmed the Mi 171e model helicopter was on a training mission when it came down at Ol Tepesi area at around 9am on Thursday, June 24.
According to KDF, the officers launched a rescue mission almost immediately upon receiving the information about the morning crash.
Nigeria's COAS General Ibrahim Attahiru dies in plane crash
In another related news, Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash that happened in Kaduna on Friday, May 21.
Attahiru died in the crash alongside 10 other military officers, including the crew. The late COAS was the second Army chief to die in a plane crash while in office.
The first was Lt. Colonel Joseph Akahan who was Chief of Army Staff from May 1967 until May 1968, when he was killed in a helicopter crash during the Nigerian Civil War.
Source: Legit.ng
