Philippine Plane Crash: Military plane crashed, 85 people were on board, 40 people rescued so far

A military plane from the Philippines has crashed. 85 passengers were on board the plane. The search operation is on. The country's army chief has given this information. At least 40 people have been rescued so far from the burning wreckage of the C-130, he said. The accident happened while landing on Jolo Island in Sulu province. He said rescue teams are at the accident site. We are praying that we can save as many lives as possible.

However, the information about whether anyone has died in the accident so far has not been revealed. Armed forces chief Sirilito Sobejana said the plane was carrying troops from the southern city of Cagayan de Oro. Government forces in the Muslim-majority province of Sulu have been fighting Abu Sayyaf's extremists for decades. He told reporters that it is very unfortunate. The aircraft missed landing on the runway and crashed.

Sobejana said at least 40 people on board the plane were taken to hospital and the army was trying to rescue the rest. A photo shared on Twitter by ABS-CBN News showed smoke and flames rising from the wreckage of the wrecked plane, according to news agency Reuters.

According to the news agency AP, it is also not clear at the moment what caused the accident. It is raining in the central Philippines, but it is not known whether the weather has been affected in the Sulu region. The airport in Sulu's main city of Jolo is located a few kilometers from a mountainous area where soldiers are fighting Abu Sayyaf. Some militants have linked themselves to the Islamic State group.

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