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Crash site on Jolo Island
Photo: Uncredited / dpa
The death toll has risen to 50 following the crash of a military plane in the Philippines.
The Ministry of Defense said that the dead were 47 soldiers in the machine and three civilians on the ground.
Another 49 soldiers and four civilians were injured and taken to hospitals, it said.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft with 96 occupants missed the runway on Jolo Island on Sunday and crashed while trying to take off again.
The authorities initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident.
At the moment, the flight recorder is still being searched for, which could give clues, it said.
According to eyewitnesses, some of the survivors managed to jump off the military plane before it hit the trees and burst into flames.
"The investigation team has already arrived in the region," said military spokesman Edgard Arevalo.
"We are determined to find out what really happened in this extremely tragic incident." The weather was good on Sunday, and the machine was in good condition and was controlled by experienced pilots.
In addition to 88 passengers, there were three pilots and five crew members in the plane when it crashed in Patikul around 1000 kilometers south of the capital Manila.
Many soldiers on board had just finished their training and were on their way to support the fight against extremists from the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu province.
The Filipino military has been fighting the organization in the Muslim south of the country for decades.
asa / dpa
