At least 17 people are dead after a military plane which was transporting troops missed a runway and crashed in the Philippines, the nation’s defence secretary said.

Delfin Lorenzana said around 40 others were rescued from the burning wreckage of the C-130 aircraft in Bangkal village in the mountainous town of Patikul in southern Sulu province.

He said the Philippine air force plane had 92 people on board, including three pilots and five crew. The rest were army personnel.

Government forces have been battling Abu Sayyaf militants in predominantly Muslim Sulu province for decades.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear but it is thought to have been due to an attack, an army spokesman said.

Chief of Staff General Cirilito Sobejana said the aircraft was transporting troops from southern Cagayan de Oro city.

“It’s very unfortunate,” Gen Sobejana told reporters. “The plane missed the runway and it was trying to regain power but failed and crashed.”

The airport in Sulu’s main town of Jolo is located a few miles from a mountainous area where troops have been battling Abu Sayyaf. Some militants have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group.

The United States and the Philippines have separately blacklisted Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organisation for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings. It has been considerably weakened by years of government offensives but remains a threat.

Related posts:

Symptomatic COVID cases drop by 94% with Pfizer vaccine, Israeli study shows Italy bans all cruise ships from central Venice in bid to preserve famed waters Olympic medallist found guilty of £110m cocaine smuggling plot One person shot outside US Capitol building after car rams police officers – area in lockdown Putin: ‘Where is the proof’ we are waging a cyber war against America? Pope Francis leaves hospital 10 days after undergoing colon surgery Brazil’s president in hospital after 10 days of hiccups and may need emergency surgery ‘No limit to what I can do’: US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez was told to ‘stop playing tennis and focus on school’ Spy chief warns of Afghanistan ‘morale boost’ for extremists in wake of Taliban resurgence Suicide bomber who targeted Kabul airport during Afghanistan evacuation acted alone, investigation finds Deputy PM keeps job after calling prime minister ‘liar’ and ‘hypocrite’ in leaked text message Millions in need of help in Syria as freezing temperatures make conditions unbearable