The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USIndoPaCom) on Friday confirmed that the aircraft that crashed in a field in Barangay Malatimon, Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur on Thursday afternoon was contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense.
In a statement, USIndoPaCom said that there were no survivors of the crash.
“There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors,” the statement said.
According to the USIndoPaCom, the aircraft identified as a Raytheon Beechcraft King Air 300 with tail number N349CA was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to the Philippine military.
USIndoPaCom said that the incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.
It added that the names of the crew are being withheld pending next of kin notification.
“The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and we have no further details to release at this time,” it said.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Ampatuan said on Thursday that the accident occured around 2 p.m.
Ampatuan MDRRMO also said that all the victims were foreign nationals while no person was injured on the ground except for a carabao, which was severely injured after it was hit by the aircraft.
Based on eyewitness accounts, the aircraft appeared to be on fire mid-air before it crashed followed by an explosion.
