At least one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors lost their lives on Thursday when their aircraft crashed in the Philippines.
In an official statement, the U.S. military confirmed that the aircraft, which was operating under a military contract, was engaged in an intelligence and surveillance mission at the request of the Philippine government.
“The aircraft was providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies. The incident occurred during a routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.
“We can confirm no survivors of the crash. There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors,” the statement read.
A defense official further revealed that the crew, comprising a U.S. Marine and three defense contractors, had been flying a Beechcraft Super King Air 350 when the aircraft went down.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
