A military cargo plane crashed in a Mississippi agricultural field Monday afternoon killing five people, according to officials at the scene.
UPDATE: Army C-130 out of Memphis crashes on Leflore/Sunflower County line https://t.co/54ri8bPOsf pic.twitter.com/p3DiN4NFUG
— Fox 40 News (@Fox40News) July 10, 2017
The military C-130 crashed on the Leflore County line northwest of Jackson, Miss., with nine aboard, Sheriff Ricky Banks told the Clarion Ledger.
The death toll may continue to rise as Leflore County Deputy Coroner Will Gnemi said the coroner’s office is still searching through tall vegetation for the remaining victims.
It remains unclear where the plane took off from and to what branch of the military it belonged.
Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks told the Greenwood Commonwealth the fire department received an emergency call at 4 p.m. CST. They arrived on scene with an airplane truck and used 4,000 gallons of foam to put out the fire. Firefighters were reportedly driven back by several “high-intensity explosions,” which Banks suggested may have been the result of ammunition exploding in the flames.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant shared his condolences on Facebook following the crash.
“Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy. Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom,” Bryant wrote.
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