Military plane crashes in the Philippines; 17 feared dead

MANILA: A military plane carrying at least 85 people crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday with 17 of them feared dead, the chief of the armed forces said.

So far, at least 40 people have been rescued from the burning wreckage of the C-130, which crashed as it tried to land on Jolo island in Sulu province, General Cirilito Sobejana told a news agency.

"Responders are at the site now, we are praying we can save more lives," Sobejana said.

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The aircraft had 92 people on board, including three pilots and five crew. The rest were army personnel.

The plane was transporting troops from southern Cagayan de Oro city. Government forces have been battling Abu Sayyaf militants in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu for decades. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

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