On Monday afternoon, a military plane crashed in rural Mississippi, killing its 16 passengers – 15 Marines and 1 Navy foreman- on impact.
According to Marine Corps Maj. Andrew Aranda, the plane was part of the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 452 based in Newburgh, New York. After leaving Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, the plane intended to land at Naval Air Facility El Centro in Southern California, bringing personnel and equipment.
There was no immediate evidence of foul play, said Aranda at a news conference on Monday. Nonetheless, federal authorities have launched an investigation into what caused the plane to crash into a soybean field in Leflore County, Mississippi.
Investigators are “looking at the debris and we’ll be collecting information off that to figure out what happened,” Aranda stated.
The Marine Corps released a similar statement on Tuesday, saying the “cause of the crash is unknown at this time” and that “the incident is under investigation.”
According to authorities, there also was no knowledge of previously existing issues with the aircraft.
“We have some of the best maintainers in the world,” added Aranda. “I trust my life to those guys numerous times.”
However, the official Twitter of the U.S. Marine Crops stated that a “mishap” had occurred on the plane. The crash caused debris to scatter on both sides of a nearby highway in a radius of about 5 miles, possibly indicating a mid-air explosion.
Local catfish farmer Andy Jones witnessed the crash, stating that he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking around 4 p.m. ET.
“You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,” he said. “It was spinning down.”
By the time Jones and others reached the crash site, the fires were too intense for them to approach the plane, nearly flattened by the impact of the crash.
During a phone interview, Fred Randle, the county’s director of emergency management, disclosed that all of the flight’s passengers were believed dead and “most, but not all” of the bodies had been recovered.
The search for bodies continued into Tuesday, as responders had to be extremely cautious around the crash site due to the presence of fuel. The FBI, as well as several other state and local emergency first responders and investigators, also were on site.
“We just don’t know what it’ll do,” said a state trooper, referring to the ammunition the plane was carrying.
As investigators recover the bodies and seek to gain closure on what caused this deadly crash, “the identities of the service members whose lives were lost in this tragic accident are being withheld to allow time for their loved ones to be notified,” according to the Marine Corp’s statement.
Following the news of the crash, President Donald Trump offered his condolences.
“Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking. Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all!” Trump tweeted on Monday.
First lady Melania Trump tweeted her “deepest sympathy to all the military families who lost their loved ones.” Vice President Mike Pence also stated that he and his wife, Karen, were “praying for the families of the Marines who lost their lives.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those lost in the July 10 @USMC KC-130 plane crash in Leflore County,” the National Guard official Twitter account posted on Tuesday.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant released a statement as well, asking for prayers for the crash victims and their loved ones. “Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom,” he added.
