An airplane crash in the Philippines left one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors dead on Thursday.
In a Thursday press release, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command announced, “On February 6, 2025, an aircraft contracted by the U.S. Department of Defense crashed in the Philippine Province of Maguindanao del Sur.”
Indo-Pacific Command noted that the contracted aircraft was being used to provide surveillance, reconnaissance, and intelligence support as part of a “routine mission in support of U.S.-Philippine security cooperation activities.”
“We can confirm no survivors of the crash,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command stated. “There were four personnel on board, including one U.S. military service member and three defense contractors.”
In Thursday’s press release, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command noted that the names of the crew members involved in the crash were being withheld until the family members of the U.S. service member and defense contractors were notified.
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“The cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and we have no further details to release at this time,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command added. “Additional updates will be provided as they become available.”
A senior U.S. defense official told Fox News that the aircraft involved in Thursday’s incident in the Philippines was a U.S. Marine Corps Beechcraft King Air 350. The Daily Wire reported that the U.S. military has been deployed for multiple decades in the Philippines to support the Philippine military as it fights against Islamic terrorists in the region.
The Associated Press reported that while no individuals were reported dead or injured near the crash site besides the U.S. service member and the three defense contractors on the airplane, officials said the crash also resulted in the death of a water buffalo.
Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, told The Associated Press that residents near the crash in the Philippines reported seeing smoke from the airplane and heard an explosion prior to the aircraft crashing to the ground less than half a mile from several farmhouses.