U.S. service members were injured in a military aircraft training accident Tuesday in the Philippines, the Defense Department has confirmed.
Philippine officials initially said Wednesday that an Air Force plane carrying five American personnel hit a concrete barrier while attempting to take off from a road during contingency training north of Manila, injuring all those aboard and damaging the aircraft, The Associated Press reported.
The pilot and two other U.S. service members were brought to an area hospital for treatment while two others were treated at the site.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom) later said in a statement to The Hill that a U.S. military aircraft was involved in “an incident” while conducting training on Tuesday in Central Luzon.
“Two service members were transported to a medical facility for medical attention,” the command said. “One of the individuals has been discharged, while the other remains in medical care and is in stable condition.”
The incident, which had no civilian injuries, is currently under investigation, according to the command.
Indopacom would not confirm the total number of those injured or the type of aircraft involved in the accident, but state media reported earlier that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Special Tactics Team used a C-146 special operations aircraft to carry out “an alternate landing activity” on a bypass road in Laoac, Pangasinan.
The country’s Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said the activity was training for military operations and humanitarian assistance without airports and runways, likely in the event of a natural disaster such as a typhoon or earthquake.
The Air Force plane was able to land during the “supervised activity,” but swerved during takeoff, a Philippine official told the AP.
Longtime allies, the U.S. and the Philippines conduct joint military exercises and Washington aids in modernizing Manila’s military to help defend its territorial interests against China and others.
Earlier this month the U.S. announced its plans to deploy more high-tech missile systems to the archipelagic country in Southeast Asia to help deter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, a stance that has drawn Beijing’s ire.
China and the Philippines’ naval forces have clashed in recent years, as Beijing claims that much of the contested waterway is under its control.
While the U.S. holds no claims in the South China Sea, it often conducts freedom of navigation exercises through the waterway. Washington also has warned Beijing that under a mutual defense treaty it has an obligation to defend the Philippines if its forces come under an attack.
