Philippines: AS many as 45 people have reportedly died after a Philippine Air Force plane crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday, as rescue and recovery operations continue amid the country's worst military air disaster in decades.  Military officials said that in addition to the three civilians on the ground who had been killed, 53 others had been injured.

Among those killed are 42 military personnel and three civilians. Of the 53 people injured, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said. The civilians killed and injured were on the ground at the site of the crash. In addition to the 96 people aboard the plane, a C-130 Hercules, there were also five military vehicles, officials said. The C-130, an American-built turboprop, is used by militaries around the world and is sometimes kept in service for decades.

The soldiers on the plane that crashed on July 4 were being flown to Jolo to bolster the military’s operations against Abu Sayyaf, a small Islamist group that the Philippine government considers a terrorist organization. Military and civilian firefighters have been deployed to extinguish the fire and rescue operations are focused on pulling survivors from the crash site, according to reports.

World Bank sanctions USD 350 million loan to Ukraine for pandemic response

WHO warns Delta variant is extremely dangerous, constantly changing form

Sri Lanka: Schools reopen after being closed for 3 months due to a surge of COVID