US military surveillance flight crashes in Philippines, killing 4

A tragic incident occurred in the Philippines on Thursday, resulting in the deaths of a U.S. military service member and three defense contractors. The surveillance flight they were on crashed in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur. The aircraft, contracted by the Department of Defense, was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support to Philippine allies at their request.

According to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, the crash took place during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities. Unfortunately, there were no survivors among the four individuals on board. The U.S. Marine Corps Beechcraft King Air 350 was the type of aircraft involved in the crash, as confirmed by a senior U.S. defense official.

The exact cause of the crash is still under investigation, and the identities of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin. Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, reported that residents witnessed smoke and heard an explosion before the plane went down about half a mile from a group of farmhouses.

Tragically, a water buffalo on the ground also lost its life as a result of the crash. U.S. forces have been stationed in a Philippine military camp in the southern part of the country for many years, offering guidance and training to Filipino forces combating Muslim militants in the region.

The area where the crash occurred is the ancestral home of minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. Investigations into the incident are ongoing to determine the exact circumstances that led to the tragic event.

This report was compiled with contributions from Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press. Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.