Jolo military plane crash kills at least 45

At least 45 people were killed and several injured yesterday when a Philippine military aircraft carrying troops crashed and burst into flames after missing the runway in the country's south.

Nearly 100 people, most of them recent army graduates, were on the C-130 Hercules transport plane which was trying to land on Jolo island in Sulu province around midday, officials said.

Some of the soldiers were seen jumping out of the plane before it hit the ground and exploded into flames, said Major General William Gonzales, commander of the Joint Task Force-Sulu.

It was one of the country's deadliest military aviation accidents.

Gonzales said: "We enjoin the nation to pray for those who are injured and those who have perished in this tragedy."

A search is still under way for more missing people.

Armed Forces Chief General Cirilito Sobejana said the aircraft was carrying troops from Cagayan de Oro on the southern island of Mindanao when it "missed the runway" as it tried to land on Jolo.

The aircraft overshot the landing strip and broke into two according to initial reports.

Most of the passengers had recently graduated from basic military training and were being deployed to the island as part of a joint task force fighting terrorism in the Muslim-majority region.

The military has a heavy presence in southern Philippines where militant groups, including the kidnap-for-ransom outfit Abu Sayyaf, operate.

The accident comes after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed last month during a night-time training flight, killing all six on board. The accident prompted the grounding of the Philippines' entire Black Hawk fleet.