A Marine refueling tanker crashed into a soybean field in rural Mississippi on Monday, killing at least 16 people aboard.
Local EMA Director Frank Randle confirmed to the Clarion Ledger that 16 are dead in the crash.
“Most of them are gonna be Marines,” Sheriff Ricky Banks said.
It was not clear whether there were any civilians on the plane.
Officials were still searching for bodies after nightfall, more than five hours after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground.
“We’re still searching the area,” Banks said. “It’s hard to find bodies in the dark.”
Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a Marine KC-130 “experienced a mishap” Monday evening but provided no details.
Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks told the Greenwood Commonwealth that debris from the plane was scattered in a radius of about 5 miles.
Firefighters tried to put out the fire at the main crash site but withdrew after an explosion forced them back.
The fire produced towering plumes of black smoke visible for miles across the flat region and continued to burn after dusk, more than four hours after the crash.
Aerial pictures taken by WLBT-TV showed the skeleton of the plane burning strongly.
