MANILA (AP) Philippine troops discovered the bodies of the five victims in the South after the crash of a transport plane, raising the death count to 50. Officials said Monday.According to military officials, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules carrying 96 combat troops was overtaking the runway at Jolo airport in Sulu. The plane crashed into a coconut tree near the airport, and then burst into flames, causing a terrible accident that was witnessed by soldiers and villagers.Police, firefighters, and troops rescued 49 military personnel. According to the military, seven people were injured by debris and aircraft parts, while three others died.As part of military assistance, this year, the Philippines received two Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft - one of two refurbished U.S. Air Force planes.Two-star Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., his family, and three children, had been on board the aircraft. He was to be the new military region commander in Manila on Monday.Cagayan De Oro's C-130 passengers boarded to fly to Sulu as army troops. Many of these soldiers were newly trained recruits and were to fight against Abu Sayyaf militants to the south.Brawner was shocked to discover that the plane he had just flown on had crashed. Brawner shared that while we were grateful that we were spared from the crash, he was extremely disappointed that so many people lost their lives.Troops captured footage of the aircraft landing in clear conditions and then disappearing beyond the airport. One soldier exclaims, "It vanished, it disappeared!" Later, dark gray smoke billowed from the site of the crash in a wooded area, as troops yelled, It fell, and it fell and let out curses in horror.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.Continue the storyInvestigators searched for C-130s black boxes that contained the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorders. It wasn't immediately clear what caused it.Lt. Gen. Corleto Vian, regional military commander, said that it was unlikely the aircraft had been subject to hostile fire. According to Gen. Cirilito, the military chief of staff, the plane had missed the runway. It was trying 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.After vowing to eliminate Abu Sayyaf, President Rodrigo Duterte increased the military presence of Sulu to a full-scale division in late 2018. The U.S. and Philippines have blacklisted the small, but violent group as terrorist organizations for ransom kidnappings bombings and beheadings.According to Jose Custodio, the Philippine Air Force's most deadly disaster was in 1971, when it crashed in a rice field in northern Manila, killing 40 military personnel.The S-701 Blackhawk helicopter, which was just delivered, crashed near Clark Freeport, an ex-U.S. Air Base, killing all six personnel.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.
