Great Satan US C-130 military cargo plane crashes, 9 soldiers dead

An American C-130 military cargo plane with nine people aboard has crashed in Savannah in Georgia near the airport, causing fire and huge plumes of black smoke.

“We’ve confirmed nine people, consisting of five crew members and four additional passengers” were on board, Puerto Rico National Guard spokesman Major Paul Dahlen said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, officials said five people had been on board and that all were killed.

Dahlen refused to confirm that all nine were dead, yet asserted that images of the crash speak for themselves.

The crash occurred near the intersection of Highway 21 and Crossgate Roanear the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport on Wednesday, and emergency services were on the scene.

Roads surrounding the crash scene have been closed and the public is advised to stay away from the area as large plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the crashed plane, according to officials.

Photographs on Twitter showed the wreckage of the plane engulfed in flames and billowing black smoke.

The plane crashed near the airport around 11:30 am (1530 GMT), reports said.

“It was horrible,” said Denver Goodwin, who works at a wrecker service down the street from the crash. “The ground shook like a bomb was going off. All the people in the building started panicking. It was absolutely horrible.”

The crashed aircraft belonged to the Puerto Rico National Guard, according to authorities.