Military plane crashes in Miss.; at least 12 dead

Associated Press

ITTA BENA, Miss.

A U.S. Marine refueling tanker crashed into a soybean field in rural Mississippi on Monday, killing at least 12 people aboard and spreading debris for miles, officials said.

Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks told the Associated Press that officials were still searching for bodies after nightfall, more than five hours after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles north of Jackson in Mississippi’s Delta region.

“We’re still searching the area,” Banks said.

“It’s hard to find bodies in the dark.”

Banks earlier told the Greenwood Commonwealth that 16 people were believed to be on board but would not confirm that information to the AP. Banks said officials had found at least 12 bodies, but couldn’t rule out that more had been or would be found.

Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a Marine KC-130 “experienced a mishap” Monday evening but provided no details.