Sixteen US servicemen have died after the military plane carrying them went down in rural Mississippi, police say.
There were 16 people on board the Marine Corps KC-130 when it crashed Monday afternoon in a soybean field in Leflore County, leaving a debris field five miles in radius.
Officials said they had recovered 12 bodies from the crash site.
“Most of them are going to be Marines,” Leflore County EMA Director Frank Randle said. He said it was soon to confirm whether there were any civilians on the plane.
Marine Corps spokeswoman Lt. Kristine Rascicot also confirmed the crash but refused to release more details.
The cause of the catastrophic crash was not yet clear on July 10. However, there were some indications that the plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. According to WMC Action News, the plane was loaded with ammo. The television station reported that emergency responders were keeping their distance from the plane because of the ammunition inside it.
The Lockheed Martin KC-130 aircraft is an extended-range tanker variant of the famous Lockheed C-130 Hercules, modified for aerial refuelling operations.
Aircraft based on the C-130 Hercules have four turboprop engines and are primarily used for military transportation.
Sources: Travel Wire News, heavy.com
