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Dozens Of People Are Killed After A Military Plane Crashes In The Philippines

NOEL KING, HOST:

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has arrived in the southern Philippines to visit soldiers after a military plane crash killed at least 50 people, including 47 military personnel and three civilians. The plane was transporting troops within the islands, and authorities are now investigating what happened. Here's NPR's Julie McCarthy.

JULIE MCCARTHY, BYLINE: A video taken by Philippine soldiers awaiting the arrival of the C-130 shows the plane coming in for a landing at the airport on the small island of Jolo - then, the shock.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Screaming in non-English language).

MCCARTHY: Witnesses watched the plane overshoot the runway before it bursts into a fireball. Black plumes billow into a sunny, undisturbed sky. Witnesses said a number of soldiers were seen dropping from the aircraft before it hit the ground. Defense analyst Jose Custodio says the airport, with its single airstrip, is rudimentary and leaves little room to maneuver.

JOSE CUSTODIO: It's really a combination of so many things. Pilots seem to have made an error, tried to correct the error. But the physical limitations of the airport were unforgiving, and that's why you had this tragedy happening.

MCCARTHY: The plane was transporting troops, many of them fresh from basic training, to Sulu, a string of islands in the south that is predominantly Muslim. For decades there, government forces have battled secessionists and Islamist militants, including the small but extremely violent jihadist group Abu Sayyaf. The Philippines and the U.S. have branded the group an outlawed terrorist organization.

The crashed C-130 was first flown in 1988 and arrived from the United States in January as part of a military assistance program. U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan offered condolences to the Philippines and said the U.S. was ready to provide all appropriate support. The Philippines' small fleet of C-130s has been grounded pending an investigation.

Julie McCarthy, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Julie McCarthy has spent most of career traveling the world for NPR. She's covered wars, prime ministers, presidents and paupers. But her favorite stories "are about the common man or woman doing uncommon things," she says.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.