A Philippine Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules carrying 96 people crashed and exploded at about 11:30 local time in the periphery of the Jolo Airport in the Sulu Province, killing at least 31 soldiers on board and 2 civilians on the ground while injuring 4 others on the ground. According to official reports, of the 96 people on board, there were 3 pilots, 5 crew members, and the rest of the people on board were army personnel. Official reports also say that some soldiers jumped off the aircraft before it crashed. At least 50 injured people on board were initially rescued from the burning wreckage and transported to hospitals while 17 army personnel remain unaccounted for. Some media outlets say that some of the injured are in serious condition, and the death toll may rise.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana states that search and rescue efforts are still underway, and that the three pilots all survived the crash, though suffer serious injuries. Local media groups say that the soldiers aboard the aircraft were among reinforcements sent to the southern Philippines to combat militants such as the Abu Sayyaf group. Most of those killed had only recently completed basic military training.

As of now, the cause of the crash is still unclear, though officials say that there are no signs that the aircraft was attacked. Investigations will start once search and rescue operations are complete. This particular C-130 first flew in 1988, and was one of two ex-United States Air Force aircraft handed to the Philippines as part of a military assistance program this January.

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