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U.S. Marine Aircraft Crashes in Pakistan, Seven Crew Members Missing
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| No enemy fire brought U.S. Marine Corp. KC-130 down |
WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (IslamOnline and News Agencies) - A United States KC-130 aircraft crashed in mountains in Pakistan's southwest Baluchistan province Wednesday, January 9, exploding in a fireball that burned for hours, officials said.
Pakistani security authorities said the aircraft hit a hilltop near Shamsi airport in Kharan district, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) outside the provincial capital, Quetta.
Kharan administration chief, Miran Jan Kakar, told reporters that seven people were believed to have been killed in the accident, but the crash site was not populated and there were no reports of casualties on the ground.
"We have received information that seven people were killed in the crash," he said, quoting witnesses. "The plane is still on fire. Flames are still leaping out of the wreckage four hours after the crash."
The U.S. military said the Marine Corps KC-130 air refueling aircraft was carrying seven marines when it crashed as it made an approach to land at a forward operating base in Shamsi.
Navy Commander, Dan Keesee, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said it was not immediately known whether crew members survived the crash.
"The aircraft was making its landing approach at the time of the crash," the command said. "Its final destination was the forward operating base in Shamsi. We don't know the disposition of the crew at this point."
Pentagon officials said there is no indication of enemy fire, but had not ruled it out. Witnesses said the plane appeared to be on fire on final approach when the crash occurred. An investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
The aircraft was on a flight from Jacobabad, Afghanistan, when it crashed at 1515 GMT near Shamsi, Pakistan, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
U.S. Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld said he did not know how many people were on board, but he understood that there were passengers in addition to the crew.
White House press secretary, Ari Fleischer, said U.S. President, George W. Bush, was notified of the crash.
The KC-130 is a $37 million plane routinely used by the Marine Corps for in-flight refueling of helicopters. It is also used for troop and cargo delivery, evacuation missions and special operations support. It carries a six-man crew of two pilots, a navigator, flight engineer, mechanic and loadmaster.
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