WASHINGTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Marine Corps on Tuesday confirmed 16 deaths in a plane crash Monday afternoon in the U.S. state of Mississippi.
"A Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft crashed in LeFlore County, Mississippi, on July 10 at approximately 4 p.m. CDT (2100 GMT), claiming the lives of 16 service members," U.S. Marine Forces Reserve said in a statement on its Facebook page.
The statement said the flight originated from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, while previous reports suggested the plane was from Memphis.
It said the identities of the deceased were being withheld to allow time to notify their relatives.
U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday that "Marine plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking. (First Lady) Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all!"
Local media reported Monday that the KC-130 had crashed in a soybean field in central Mississippi, with at least 16 bodies pulled from the wreckage.
The Marine Corps said on social media that a "mishap" had occurred.
Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks said the plane was scattered in a radius of about 8 km. Images shot by first responders showed plumes of dark smoke coming from the wreckage, which was burning.
First responders at the site believed the plane, which was carrying ammunition, exploded midair.
"There's a lot of ammo in the plane, that's why we are keeping so far back," local WMC Action News 5 quoted a Mississippi State trooper at the site as saying.
The incident came less than a week after a military lab in Florida's Eglin Air Force Base exploded, ejecting large amount of methyl chloride but causing no severe injuries.
The KC-130, a transport plane manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is mostly used to transport personnel, equipment as well as fuel.
