A United States military plane carrying five American personnel crashed into a concrete fence while attempting to take off from a road during a training exercise in a northern Philippine province, injuring everyone on board.
Manila, Philippines — A United States military plane carrying five American personnel crashed into a concrete barrier while attempting to take off from a road during contingency training in a northern Philippine province, injuring everyone on board, Philippine officials said Wednesday.
The pilot and two other US personnel were flown to a hospital for treatment after the crash Tuesday afternoon on a concrete bypass road in Laoac City, Pangasinan province. Two other injured personnel were treated at the scene, police said in a preliminary report.
Three Philippine officials told The Associated Press that the training, which involved a U.S. The Air Force transport aircraft landing and taking off at an “alternative landing area” was planned and fully coordinated with Philippine civilian, police, and military authorities, and the cause of the crash is being investigated. The three officials spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the crash publicly.
The plane managed to land during a “supervised activity”
but turned during takeoff, one of the three officials said, adding that such unique training was needed to prepare military forces for all kinds of contingencies, including when regular airports and runways become inaccessible during storms and earthquakes.
Under the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement, US forces are allowed to conduct training with Filipino counterparts in the Philippines. on a large-scale joint combat training exercise In recent years the focus has been on helping the Philippines protect its territorial interests and promote freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, which is located to the west of Pangasinan.
confrontation Tensions have risen recently between the coast guard and naval forces of China and the Philippines in the disputed waters, which are largely claimed by Beijing. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also involved in a long-running regional standoff.
Despite not claiming any territory in the disputed waters, the US has consistently asserted its obligation to defend the Philippines. mutual defence treaty if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under any armed attack, including in the South China Sea.
