Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 7) — The United States offered to assist the Philippines in responding to the July 4 military plane crash in Sulu, including identifying victims.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III volunteered to help during a phone call with Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the White House said in a readout dated July 6.
“Secretary Austin offered his deepest condolences to the people of the Philippines and the families of those lost in this tragedy,” the statement read.
The death toll has climbed to 53, the Armed Forces of the Philippines confirmed on Tuesday. Fifty soldiers were killed, while three civilians on the ground also died.
The AFP said it has the names of the fatalities, but it is still in the process of identifying their bodies.
A probe into the crash is ongoing, and while authorities have recovered the black box from the C-130 plane, AFP Chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the Philippines does not have the capability to open it. The device, also called a flight recorder, could help determine the cause of the incident.
According to Sobejana, the black box would have to be sent to the US, which will help retrieve its contents.
“They committed na once matanggap nila, gagawin kaagad nila upang maibalik sa atin at magkaroon na tayo ng conclusion kung ano ang dahilan sa pagbagsak ng ating C-130,” he told CNN Philippines in an interview on Tuesday.
[Translation: After helping retrieve the data, they committed to immediately return the black box to us, so we can establish the cause of the C-130 plane crash.]
