A Philippines military plane carrying 85 soldiers crashed in the Philippines on Sunday. The plane took off from Cagayan de Oro City. Army Chief General Sirilito Sobejana told AFP that the C-130 plane had caught fire. “It’s very unfortunate. The plane didn’t land on the runway. The pilot tried to control it again, but he couldn’t and the plane crashed.” He said at least 40 people on board the plane were taken to hospital and military forces were trying to rescue the rest.
Philippine Defense Minister Delphine Lorenzana said rescue operations were underway. He said there were 92 people on board the plane, including three drivers and five crew members. The rest of the people on the plane were military personnel.
It is raining in central Philippines, but it was not immediately clear whether the weather in the Sulu region was also affected. The airport in Jolo, the main city of Sulu, is located a few kilometers from the mountainous area.
At the time of the accident, the plane was trying to land on Jolo Island in Sulu State of the Philippines. Sobejana said that relief and rescue teams have reached the spot. We are praying to God that at least one person is harmed in the accident.
Most of the soldiers on the plane had recently undergone basic military training. These people were to be deployed on islands famous for terrorist activities. The Muslim population is the majority on these islands of the Philippines. It is common for someone to be kidnapped for ransom here, so there is always a large number of soldiers stationed. This area comes in the southern Philippines. A terrorist organization named Abu Sayyaf is active here.
The US and the Philippines have blacklisted Abu Sayyaf on charges of bombing, kidnapping for ransom, and beheading. Although the Abu Sayyaf group has weakened over the years due to government action, it remains a threat.