President Trump and Melania tweet condolences over ‘heartbreaking’ crash after Marine Corps KC-130 aircraft loaded with ammunition explodes at 20,000 feet leaving 16 dead …(RIP My Brothers…)
KC-130 military airplane crashed outside of Greenwood in Mississippi on Monday afternoon
Officials have recovered 16 bodies from the wreckage and are still searching the crash site
The names of those killed have not been made public pending notification of family members
An official with the Greenwood Airport said the plane suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet
A Mississippi State Trooper said: ‘There’s a lot of ammo in the plane’ and officials found debris on both sides of Highway 82 in Leflore County
The Lockheed KC-130 may have come from the Naval Support Activity Mid-South Base located in Millington
Andy Jones said he was working on his family’s catfish farm when he heard a boom and looked up and saw the plane corkscrewing down to the ground
Donald Trump tweeted after the crash that the ‘Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking’ as he sent his and Melania’s ‘deepest condolences to all’
By REGINA F. GRAHAM
DAILYMAIL.COM
11 July 2017
At least 16 people are dead after a U.S. Marine Corps. KC-130 airplane from Tennessee crashed into a soybean field in Mississippi on Monday afternoon – leaving a five-mile debris field.
Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a briefing late on Monday that 16 bodies had been recovered after the stricken aircraft spiraled into the ground about 85 miles north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta.
A witness said some bodies were found more than a mile from the crash site.
Alan Hammons, an official with the nearby Greenwood Airport, told CBS affiliate WNBD-D1 the plane, which originated from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, was being tracked by air traffic controllers in Memphis and suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet around 4pm.
Initial findings suggest that the plane suddenly exploded mid-air. Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a KC-130 ‘experienced a mishap’ Monday evening but provided no details.
Wreckage has been found on both sides of Highway 82, meaning an explosion most likely happened prior to the crash.
The official Twitter account of the U.S. Marine Corps. tweeted that a ‘USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.’
President Trump tweeted after the crash that the ‘Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking’ as he sent his and Melania’s ‘deepest condolences to all’.
Melania also posted her own tweet, expressing: ‘My deepest sympathy to all of the military families who lost their loved ones in the Mississippi plane crash. Thoughts & prayers for all.’
LeFlore County EMA Director Fred Randal told WLBT that investigators have already begun searching for clues as to why the aircraft seemingly dropped out of the sky from 20,000 feet.
The Rest…HERE
