UPDATE
It was the deadliest Marine crash — in the U.S. or abroad — since 2005.
Fifteen Marines and a Navy corpsman were on board the KC-130 tanker when it corkscrewed into the ground Monday afternoon about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson, the state capital, military officials said. A witness said some bodies were found more than a mile away.
Jones said firefighters tried to put out the fire but withdrew after an explosion forced them back.
The fierce blaze, punctuated by small explosions, produced black smoke visible for miles across the flat region and continued to burn after dusk, more than four hours later.
A U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 has crashed into a field outside Greenwood, Mississippi, according to a tweet sent by the United States Marine Corps.
Fred Randel, the director of emergency management for Leflore County in Mississippi, said that 16 on board are confirmed dead in the crash.
Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a Marine KC-130 “experienced a mishap” Monday evening but provided no further details.
According to the Associated Press, 16 bodies have been recovered so far from the wreckage in rural Mississippi.
EXCLUSIVE SKYCOPTER VIDEO: Military C-130 crashes on Leflore/Sunflower County line; Four bodies recovered https://t.co/aDo4h38rnm pic.twitter.com/5SWN8Q8pI6
— WLBT 3 On Your Side (@WLBT) July 11, 2017
Alan Hammons, an official at Greenwood Airport in Mississippi, told WNCN that the plane was tracked by air traffic controllers and suffered a “structural failure” at 20,000 feet.
Andy Jones says he was working on his family’s catfish farm when he heard a boom and looked up and saw the plane corkscrewing down to the ground.
The FAA told WSOC-TV that the plane originated in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Before the accident, the KC-130 landed Memphis International Airport, possibly to refuel, before taking off again according to WHBQ
The Lockheed Martin KC-130 is a four-engine turboprop military tanker aircraft used for aerial refueling. This variant of the C-130 is used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Marine Corps.
Officials did not have information on what caused the crash or where the flight originated.
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, shared his prayers in a Facebook post shortly after the crash: