US service member, 3 contractors killed when surveillance plane crashes in Philippines

A U.S. military service member and three defense contractors were killed Thursday when their aircraft crashed in the Philippines while conducting routine reconnaissance, according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

The crash occurred in the Maguindanao del Sur province of the southern Philippines. The service member and defense contractors were the only people aboard, the command said in a statement.

Video and images published online show wreckage from the crash a rice field in the rural municipality. Multiple outlets, including CNN, reported that the aircraft, which was contracted by the Defense department, was a Beechcraft King Air 350.

It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to go down, but the command said the crash is being investigated.

Missing plane: Alaska rescue crews search for missing airplane with 10 onboard

Military aircraft was conducting routine surveillance in Philippines

The aircraft was conducting a routine mission “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” the command said in its statement.

Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, told The Associated Press that she received reports that residents saw smoke coming from the plane and heard an explosion before the aircraft plummeted to the ground about half a mile from a cluster of farmhouses.

The names of the crew are being withheld until their families are notified, the command said. It is unclear if the three defense contractors were also U.S. citizens.

"Additional updates will be provided as they become available," the command added.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Philippines plane crash: US service member, 3 contractors killed