US military plane crashes in Mississippi, 16 killed

Washington: At least 16 people were killed when a US Marine Corps plane crashed in Mississippi, officials said, adding the search for missing crew members continued.

Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks told the media that the military airplane that crashed in his jurisdiction on Monday evening was carrying 16 people, reports Efe news.

The Marine Corps confirmed the crash, but did not provide further details of the incident. 

A USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available. pic.twitter.com/QEFhooJZmC — U.S. Marines (@USMC) July 11, 2017

It is therefore unknown whether there were civilians among the crew.

The accident, of which the causes have yet to be confirmed, occurred at 4 p.m. on the border of Sunflower and Leflore counties, north of the state capital Jackson.

Authorities set up an 8 km radius around the site on a soybean crop to search for victims.

The crashed aircraft, a Lockheed Martin KC-130, is a four-engine tanker used for aerial refueling and transportation. 

(With inputs from IANS)