ANOTHER soldier had succumbed to the injuries he sustained during the C-130 plane crash in Patikul, Sulu, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Friday, July 16, 2021.
Captain Jonathan Zata, AFP chief of the Public Affairs Office (PAO), said Private Jesfel Mequiabas of the Philippine Army died at 2:30 a.m. of July 16.
Mequibas was among those critically injured, according to Zata.
“The AFP has reached out to his loved ones and his remains are being prepared to be transported to their hometown,” Zata said.
The death of Mequiabas raised the death toll from the July 4, 2021 plane crash to 53. Three were civilians while the rest were AFP personnel, most of whom had just completed training and were being deployed to Sulu.
Zata said 29 remains have already been identified while the others were still being identified. Most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition as the plane exploded upon impact. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)