A U.S. military aircraft crashed in Savannah, Ga., during a training mission Wednesday, killing five people, military officials said.
An Air Force spokeswoman said five people were on the Puerto Rico Air National Guard C-130 Hercules when it crashed at about 11:30 a.m., exploding into black smoke and flames beside a road near the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
Capt. Jeff Bezore with the Georgia Air National Guard told the Associated Press that at least five were killed.
The military is investigating the accident, the Air Force said in a statement, and the names of the dead will be released once their next of kin are told.
Air Force officials said the aircraft was a modified WC-130 — a modified version of the “Hercules” cargo plane that performs weather reconnaissance, and is commonly called a “hurricane hunter.”
It was based out of Puerto Rico Air National Guard’s 156th Airlift Wing. A hurricane devastated the island when it hit Puerto Rico last fall, and WC-130s were used in rescue operations.
This story is developing and will be updated.