A US military-contracted aircraft crashed in the southern Philippines on Thursday, killing one service member and three defence contractors, the US Indo-Pacific Command has confirmed.
The aircraft was on a routine intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission at the request of Philippine authorities when it went down in a rice field in Maguindanao del Sur province, the command said. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Local officials reported that the wreckage was found in the town of Ampatuan, with all four bodies recovered from the site. Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a safety officer in the province, said authorities were withholding the victims’ identities until their families were notified.
"The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of US-Philippine security cooperation activities,” the Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement about the crash on Mindanao island.
"We can confirm no survivors of the crash,” said the US military.
Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster officer, told the Associated Press that witnesses saw smoke and heard an explosion before the aircraft crashed less than a kilometre from a cluster of farmhouses. No residents were injured, though a water buffalo was killed in the impact.
Police and military personnel have secured the area to prevent any interference with the investigation. Officials have not disclosed details about the aircraft or its mission, citing security protocols.
The Philippine military has also refused to release more information on crash, saying the matter was classified and is under investigation, reported AFP. A regional spokesperson, Jopy Ventura, told the French wire agency that the officers had not yet determined the cause of crash.
US forces have maintained a presence in the southern Philippines for years, assisting the country’s military with intelligence and training in counterterrorism efforts.
Additional reporting by agencies
