MANILA (AFP) — The Philippines military confirmed Wednesday that one of its cargo aircraft carrying a crew of nine crashed shortly after take-off earlier this week in the south of the country.
The C-130 aircraft left Davao international airport on restive southern Mindanao island late Monday en route for the central city of Iloilo, but lost contact with air traffic controllers only 20 minutes later.
The military has not ruled out the possibility of an attack by Muslim separatist rebels fighting government troops on Mindanao.
"The armed forces of the Philippines sadly confirms reports that one of its C-130 planes crashed in waters between Davao and Samal island," the military said in a statement.
"We are conducting investigations to determine the cause of the incident," said General Alexander Yano, armed forces chief of staff.
Rescue teams trawling the waters off Mindanao on Tuesday recovered a body, uniforms, combat boots, maps and records, as well as the propeller from the 41-year-old Lockheed Martin aircraft.
The military has not yet confirmed there were no survivors from the crash.
The aircraft had been scheduled to fly to Iloilo to pick up members of President Gloria Arroyo's security team and then take them to Manila, Air Force chief Lieutenant General Pedrito Cadungog said.
Witnesses heard a loud explosion shortly after the plane took off, Cadungog said, adding the incident was "very puzzling."
The C-130 was at about 5,000 feet (1,524 metres) when the pilots made their last call requesting clearance for a flight path, said Cadungog, who called the pilots seasoned airmen.
Cadungog went to Mactan Air Base in Cebu on Tuesday to meet with the families of the two pilots and seven crewmen who were onboard the aircraft.
Sonar equipment pinpointed the likely wreckage of the aircraft late Tuesday, lying in more than 600 feet of water some 2.5 nautical miles off the coast near Davao, said Captain Arnel Gonzales, head of the search and rescue team.
Naval divers resumed their search at first light Wednesday.
Investigators were looking at the possibility that Muslim separatists could be to blame. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which operates in large parts of Mindanao, bombed the Davao airport in 2003, Cadungog said.
"The air force has been in the limelight because of our air strikes on MILF lawless groups," he said.
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