MANILA– The death toll from a military plane crash in the southern Philippines has risen to 52, as two more critically injured soldiers died in hospital, Defence Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, said, in an updated report yesterday.

All 96 passengers and crew in the C-130H aircraft have been accounted for, the Department of National Defence said, adding, 49 soldiers died and 47 others injured.

Lorenzana said, three civilians on the ground were also killed and four others injured.

Some of the critically injured soldiers were airlifted to Zamboanga City from Sulu. Lorenzana already ordered a “full investigation” into the crash “as soon as the rescue and recovery operation is completed.”

Major General Edgard Arevalo, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, said in an online press conference that, the retrieval operations for plane parts, including the black box, are ongoing at the crash site, and an investigative team has arrived in Sulu.

The plane was carrying newly-trained army personnel when it crashed and burst into flames, after overshooting the runway, around 11:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Arevalo said, some of the soldiers who died were severely charred, making it difficult to identify.

He said the C-130H plane mishap is one of the “most tragic incidents” that happened in the armed forces.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK