4 dead as plane, contracted by US military, crashes in Philippines
Witnesses say aircraft was flying low, apparently surveying Muslim-majority region in southern Bangsamoro
FILE PHOTO
ISTANBUL
A private plane contracted by the US military crashed Thursday in a rice field in the southern Philippines killing at least four people, state media reported.
The bodies of the victims were recovered from a two-engine Beech King Air 300 aircraft in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, according to the Philippines News Agency.
The victims were described as four Caucasian men but their identities have yet to be confirmed.
The plane crashed in the field in the afternoon in Malatimon village, Mindanao Island.
Witnesses said the aircraft was flying low and appeared to be surveying the Muslim-majority region before nose-diving into the field.
Videos of the aftermath of the wreckage are being shared online.
Filipino officials have yet to identify the purpose and origin of the flight, however, the US Embassy in Manila confirmed that the plane was contracted by the US military.
Manila is the oldest US ally in the region where the American military has access to bases of the Philippines military.
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