US Military-Contracted Plane Crashes in Rice Field Killing All On Board

A US military-contract plane crashed into a rice field in the Philippines, killing all of the passengers on board, according to officials.

Four people were killed after the plane crashed into the country's southern province Maguindanao del Sur Thursday, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines confirmed as reported by the Associated Press.

The victims of the accident have not yet been identified, but a spokesperson for the US Embassy said that the plane had been contracted by the US military, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.

All four bodies were retrieved from the wreckage. Additionally, a water buffalo was severely injured after being struck by the aircraft, a regional police spokesperson told ABC.

The plane had reportedly been swerving before the crash, witnesses told PhilStar. An explosion was also allegedly heard before the crash, and residents saw smoke coming from the plane, provincial disaster-mitigation officer Windy Beaty told AP.

No locals were injured or killed in the incident. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The crash comes just over a week after a US Army Black Hawk Helicopter and an American Airlines jet collided in Washington, DC, leaving no survivors. Two days later, a small plane crashed in Philadelphia, which also killed everyone on board.