At least 50 people have been killed after a plane burst into flames in the Philippines.

The tragedy, which took place on July 4, saw an Air Force aircraft overshoot a runway - killing 47 soldiers on board, four civilians on the ground, and injuring dozens.

Per CNN, the C-130 military plane was transporting troops when it missed the runway at Jolo airport in the Philippines — 600 miles south of capital Manila.

Several troops jumped from the plane just seconds before it crashed, Reuters reports.

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All 96 passengers on board had been accounted for, with 49 military personnel injured as well as four civilians on the ground, military spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo said.

In a news conference, Arevalo said the plane was in "very good condition" and had 11,000 flying hours remaining before its next maintenance was due.

He said: "We are determined to find out what really transpired in this very tragic incident because according to available information the aircraft followed the specified protocols."

On Monday, July 5, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ordered an investigation into the Philippines' worst military air disaster in nearly three decades, after a Philippine Air Force C-130 crashed in 1993, killing 30 people.

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The aircraft was 33 years old and was one of the two aircraft provided by the US government for heavy airlift missions this year.

"Minutes after the crash, troops and civilian volunteers rushed to the site for search and rescue. Per eyewitnesses, a number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash," according to a press release by Joint Task Force Sulu.
Officials added that the soldiers on the flight were fresh graduates and had just completed military training.
Military chief Cirilito Sobejana said the plane had "missed the runway trying to regain power".

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Officials added: "A number of soldiers were seen jumping out of the aircraft before it hit the ground, sparing them from the explosion caused by the crash."

Arevalo said there was no sign the plane was attacked.

Arevalo added: "We assure our people that we are transparent and the results of the investigation [will be made] available when completed."

Authorities are still searching for the flight recorders.

Featured image credit: oliver leedham / Alamy

Plane crash death toll reaches 50 after Air Force aircraft burst into flames in Philippines