Wire News
A military plane that crashed in the southern Philippines has killed at least 45 people.
The transporter was carrying more than 90 people, mostly troops, when it overshot the runway on Jolo island.
The dead are mainly military personnel, but three civilians on the ground were also killed, the defence ministry said.
Rescue workers scoured the wreckage of the Lockheed C130 Hercules in a wood near several buildings.
The aircraft burst into flames on crashing, sending a large black cloud into the air.
Several dozen people were injured, and five are still missing, the military said.
A statement from the regional military force, Joint Task Force Sulu, said “several soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground, sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash”.
The soldiers were among reinforcements sent to the southern Philippines to combat Islamist militants such as the Abu Sayyaf group.
Officials said there was no sign that the aircraft had been attacked, and an investigation would start once the rescue operation was complete.
Many of those on board had only recently completed basic military training, AFP reports.
