MANILA (Philippines) A C-130 Philippine aircraft carrying combat troops crashed into a southern province on Sunday. Officials said that at least 29 soldiers and two civilians were killed. At least 50 survivors were rescued from the burning wreckage.Military officials confirmed that soldiers were seen jumping from the aircraft just before it crashed in Sulu province's Jolo airport. Two of the six villagers who were struck on the ground died.Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana stated that rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing. There were 96 people aboard the aircraft, including five pilots, five crew members, and the rest of the army personnel. The military added that 17 soldiers still hadn't been found by nightfall. Officials said that the pilots survived, but they were severely injured.Two Lockheed C-130 Hercules ex-U.S. Air Force planes were handed to the Philippines this year as part of military aid. According to Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, the aircraft crashed shortly before noon Sunday in Bangkal village, Patikul.According to military officials, at least 50 of the people aboard were taken to a hospital in Sulu. Others were flown to Zamboanga where troops were searching for the rest. According to military statements, eyewitnesses reported that several soldiers were seen leaping out of the plane before it crashed into the ground. This saved them from the blast caused by the crash.Initial photos released by the military showed that the tail section of cargo plane was relatively intact. Other parts of the plane were either burned or dispersed in pieces in a clearing with coconut trees. Soldiers and other rescuers were seen running to and fro from the wreckage.Officials said that the plane was carrying troops from southern Cagayan De Oro to Sulu. Many of these soldiers were new recruits.According to Maj. Gen. William Gonzales, a Sulu military commander, they were supposed join us in fighting terrorism. For decades, government forces have been fighting Abu Sayyaf militants within the predominantly Muslim province Sulu.The cause of the crash was not immediately known. According to Lt. Gen. Corleto Vian, the regional military commander, the aircraft was unlikely to have been subjected to hostile fire. Witnesses claimed that it had overshot the runway and then crashed into the perimeter of the airport.Sobejana said that it was very unfortunate. It missed the runway, and tried to regain power, but it crashed.According to an air force official, the Jolo runway is shorter that most other in the country. This makes it harder for pilots adjust if the aircraft misses its landing spot. Because of lack of authority, the official spoke under condition of anonymity. He has flown military aircraft from and to Jolo many times.Initial photos showed that Sulu was experiencing fine weather, but other parts of the Philippines were seeing rains from a tropical depression. The main Sulus town of Jolo airport is just a few kilometers from the mountainous region where troops have fought Abu Sayyaf militants. Some militants have joined the Islamic State group.Separately, the U.S. has blacklisted Abu Sayyaf for terrorist activities such as bombings and ransom kidnappings. Although it has been greatly diminished by years of government operations, it remains a threat.After vowing to eliminate the Abu Sayyaf, allied foreign and local gunmen, President Rodrigo Duterte made Sulu a full military division by deploying hundreds more troops and air force aircraft.The government forces were pursuing Muslim armed groups one year after a five-month siege on southern Marawi by militants from the Islamic State group. In months of intense ground and air assaults, more than 1,000 people were killed, mostly militants and long-elusive Abu Sayyaf leaders.Sunday's crash came as the military aircraft fleet is already stretched. The air force was responsible for transporting medical supplies and vaccines to remote islands provinces during spikes in COVID-19 infection rates.As it faced decades-long insurgents from Islam and communists, and territorial rifts in South China Sea with China, the Philippine government struggled for years with modernizing its military.Get the Brief. Register to get the best stories right now. Enter valid email address. * Your request was unsuccessful and timed out. Please sign up again. Sign up now! An error occurred during your registration. Please try again later. If you don't wish to receive promotional emails from TIME, please check the box. You may unsubscribe at anytime. Signing up means you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policies. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA. The Google Privacy Policy, Terms of Service and Terms of Service also apply. We are grateful! We have sent you a confirmation email for your security. 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