US military serviceman, 3 contractors killed in plane crash in southern Philippines

A US military service member and three defense contractors were killed when a light aircraft crashed Thursday in rice fields in the southern Philippines, the US confirmed.

The US Indo-Pacific Command said an aircraft contracted by the US Department of Defense crashed in the Philippine province of Maguindanao del Sur during a routine intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission in support of US-Philippine security cooperation activities.

The command said there were no survivors.

The names of the crew are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and officials have not released further details.

Witnesses said the aircraft was flying low and appeared to be surveying the Muslim-majority region before nose-diving into the field, according to the Philippines News Agency.

Videos of the aftermath of the wreckage are being shared online.

Filipino officials have yet to identify the purpose and origin of the flight.

Manila is the oldest US ally in the region where the American military has access to bases of the Philippines military.