The death toll from the crash of a C-130H Hercules plane in  Patikul, Sulu on Sunday has climbed to 50 while the injured was tallied at 53, according to the Department of National Defense (DND) said.

In an update Sunday evening, the DND said 47 are military personnel while the three others are civilians.

Some 49 military personnel and four civilians are undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the crash.

A total of 32 of the military personnel were brought for treatment in Zamboanga City while 18 are still confined at the 11th Infantry Division hospital at Barangay Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.

All passengers, pilots and crew have been retrieved. Meantime, the search for the C-130’s black box is ongoing.

Philippine Army (PA) spokesperson Col. Ramon Zagala said the Army is “doing its best” to save the injured.

“Rest assured that the PA is ready to provide assistance to their families and take care of the wellbeing of the injured personnel. Our hearts are with all the people who are sorrowed by this tragedy,” he said.

There were earlier reports that the C-130H that crashed on Sunday was fired at by terrorists in the island, and that before the crash, there were soldiers who were jumping out of the plane.

The aircraft was one of the two C-130H acquired through a grant from the US government that arrived in the country last January 29. It was formally welcomed to the PAF fleet during a ceremony at the Villamor Air Base, Pasay City on February 18.