A C-130 "Hercules" aircraft carrying newly-enlisted soldiers into the Philippine Army to fight Abu Sayyaf bandits crashed while about to landed at the airport of Jolo, Sulu, a top military official said Sunday, July 4, 2021.
Major General William Gonzales, 11th Infantry Division commander, said the incident happened around 11:30 a.m. Sunday in Sitio Amman in Bangkal village, Patikul, Sulu.
Gonzales said 50 personnel were hospitalized with some airlifted to Zamboanga City to undergo further treatment.
“Minutes after the crash, troops and civilian volunteers rushed to the site for search and rescue. Per eyewitnesses, a number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash,” Gonzales said.
Meanwhile, he said that 29 bodies were already recovered from the crash site.
General Cirilito Sobejana, Armed Forces chief-of-staff, said the C-130 missed the runway and tried to regain power but failed and ended up crashing in Bangkal village, Patikul while transporting troops to Sulu from Cagayan de Oro City.
“We remain to be hopeful that we could find more survivors. Our search and rescue are ongoing with 17 personnel unaccounted. These individuals were supposed to report to their battalions today (July 4). They were supposed to join us in our fight against terrorism,” Gonzales said.
“This is a sad day, but we have to remain hopeful. We enjoin the nation to pray for those who are injured and those who have perished in this tragedy,” he added. (SunStar Zamboanga)