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A Philippine military plane carrying troops crashed in a southern province Sunday after missing the runway on July 4, 2021. (Photo: Facebook/Rotary Clubs of the Philippines) - 

At least 17 people were killed when a Philippines Air Force plane carrying troops crashed on landing in the south of the country and broke up in flames on Sunday.

"So far 40 wounded and injured were rescued and 17 bodies recovered. Rescue and recovery is ongoing," Defence Minister Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

Ninety-two people, most of them army personnel, were on board the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft when it crashed on Jolo island in Sulu province around midday, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement.

Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the plane had "missed the runway" and crashed while trying to land.

"While transporting our troops from Cagayan de Oro (on the southern island of Mindanao), it missed the runway, trying to regain power but it didn't make it," Sobejana told local media, describing the accident as "very unfortunate".

"Responders are at the site now, we are praying we can save more lives," Sobejana told AFP.

Sobejana said the 40 rescued were being treated at the nearby 11th Infantry Division hospital.

Pictures from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from wreckage strewn among trees as men in combat uniform milled around. A large column of black smoke rose into the blue sky.

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

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

C-130 aircraft, the work horses of the air force, are used to transport troops and supplies. They are also often deployed to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

A military spokesman, Colonel Edgard Arevalo, said there was no indication of any attack on the plane, but that a crash investigation had not begun and efforts were focused on rescue and treatment.

The accident comes after a Black Hawk helicopter crashed last month during a night-time training flight, killing all six on board.

Three pilots and three airmen died when their S-70i went down near the Crow Valley training range north of Manila, prompting the grounding of the entire fleet.

The country ordered 16 of the multi-role aircraft from a Polish firm that made them under licence from the Sikorsky division of US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Eleven have been delivered since late 2020//CNA