SEVENTEEN military personnel were reported killed while 40 others were injured after a Philippine Air Force (PAF) C-130 plane and burst into flame after crashing at the airport in Jolo, Sulu, last Sunday.

PAF Spokesman Lt. Col. Maynard Mariano released a brief but sketchy report about the mishap. However, the report didn't provide information about the fate of each personnel onboard.

The crash was PAF's second in less than two weeks after a newly-acquired S70i Blackhawk helicopter went down while on a night-proficiency training in Tarlac late last month. That incident led to the loss of life of six air crew, which included three junior officers.

Department of National Defense Spokesman Arsenio R. Andolong quoted Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana as saying that the C-130 plane "crashed while landing at the Jolo airport at noon" on July 4.

Runway missed

LORENZANA said that, based on the initial report, the aircraft was carrying 92 personnel, including three pilots and five crew. The rest were Army personnel who were "reporting for duty."

"So far, 40 wounded and injured were rescued and 17 bodies recovered; rescue and recovery is ongoing," Lorenzana said.

In a brief statement, the PAF said the plane, with tail number 5125, "figured in a mishap upon landing in Jolo." The aircraft "took off from CJVAB (Villamor Air Base) [and flew] to Lumbia Airport (Cagayan de Oro) and subsequently ferried personnel to Jolo."

"Rescue efforts are ongoing, details will follow soonest," the PAF said.

General Cirilito E. Sobejana, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, hinted that the aircraft caught fire after it crashed at the airport at around 11:30 a.m.

"Very unfortunate; not so happy Sunday," Sobejana told reporters adding that at 11:30 a.m., "while transporting our troops from Cagayan de Oro," the C-130 missed the runway trying to regain power and crashed at Barangay Bangkal, Patikul, Sulu.

Fine weather

A report from The Associated Press said that initial pictures showed that the weather was apparently fine in Sulu although other parts of the Philippines were experiencing rains due to an approaching tropical depression. The airport in Sulu's main town of Jolo is located a few kilometers from a mountainous area where troops have battled the Abu Sayyaf. Some militants have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group.

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

The United States and the Philippines have separately blacklisted the Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organization for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. It has been considerably weakened by years of government offensives but remains a threat.

"We are doing our best effort to rescue the passengers; our ground commander is already there, General (William) Gonzales, doing his best effort to have the fire stopped and safely rescue the passenger," Sobejana said in a statement issued earlier than Lorenzana's.

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