(UPDATED) At least 29 people, mostly military personnel, were killed when a C-130 aircraft that picked up troops in Cagayan de Oro City crashed in Patikul, Sulu on Sunday, July 4, 2021, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) said.
“The said aircraft took off from CJVAB to Lumbia Airport (in Cagayan de Oro City) and subsequently ferried personnel to Jolo,” PAF said in a statement. CJVAB refers to Colonel Jesus Villamor Airbase in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
A report by the Joint Task Force (JTF) Sulu late Sunday afternoon said 29 bodies have been recovered. There were 50 others who were injured and 17 who were unaccounted for.
Rescue operations were ongoing, the military said. The aircraft has tail number 5125.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana said the aircraft missed the runway and crashed at about 11:30 a.m. in Barangay Bangkal in Patikul, not Jolo as earlier reported.
“Na-miss niya 'yung runway trying to regain power at hindi nakayanan kaya bumagsak," he said.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, in a tweet Sunday, said the aircraft carried nearly 100 soldiers, including the crew.
“Like most of us, Sundays have been restful and happy occasions for me, until today. At noontime, CGPAF confirmed the heartbreaking crash of a C130 aircraft in Jolo, with close to a hundred soldiers onboard including the crew,” he said.
He said the AFP was pooling its resources together and tapping all units for the ongoing medical evacuation efforts.
He urged the public to refrain from making allegations against the AFP.
"We are currently focusing our attention on the rescue of the survivors of the C-130 crash and all available resources of the AFP are being utilized for the ongoing search and retrieval operations," he said.
“We call on the public to refrain from spreading highly speculative statements about the unfortunate incident. With the investigations of the past mishaps still ongoing, such speculations are as of yet baseless and disrespectful to the affected men and women of the Philippine Air Force, AFP and their families," he added.
This was the second PAF aircraft that crashed in just 11 days. On June 23, a brand-new Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Tarlac, killing all six PAF personnel who were conducting night flight training.
Another helicopter crashed in January 2021, killing seven airmen in Bukidnon. In September 2020, four personnel of the Philippine Air Force were killed after a Sikorsky rescue helicopter crashed in Basilan. (Third Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)
Note: This article has been updated to correct the crash site to Patikul, not Jolo as earlier reported.