At least 16 people were killed after a military transport plane crashed into a Mississippi soybean field on Monday, with debris and bodies spanning five miles, according to witnesses and officials.
Leflore County’s Emergency Management Agency confirmed a staggering 16 casualties after the plane plunged into a green field around 4 p.m. near Morehead, northwest of Jackson, according to the Clarion-Ledger.
The flattened plane was on fire shortly after impact and sent plumes of black smoke billowing into the air.
Witness Andy Jones said he was working on his family’s catfish farm when he heard a loud boom. He saw the doomed aircraft spiraling out of control and smoke pouring out of an engine.
“You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,” Jones told The Associated Press. “It was spinning down.”
He said the blaze burned too hot for him to investigate the wreckage.
He called police after finding bodies scattered across U.S. Highway 82, more than a mile from the crash site.
Sheriff Ricky Banks initially told the Ledger that at least five people had died but the aircraft was believed to be carrying nine.
First responders kept a distance from the burning wreckage fearing its volatile cargo.
“There’s a lot of ammo in the plane,” a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper told WLBT-TV.
“It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down.”
The Marine Corps posted on Twitter Monday evening that the plane was a K-130, a tanker version of C-130 transport planes that is used for refueling in-air.
It’s unclear where the cargo plane took off from and where it intended to go.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration referred the Daily News to a military base in North Carolina.
"Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy. Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom," Gov. Phil Bryant said in a statement.
Originally published on Daily News
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