Manila: A Philippines Air Force troop plane crashed on Sunday, killing at least 45 people in the country’s worst military air disaster in nearly 30 years.

Another 49 soldiers were rescued after surviving the fiery crash in a coconut grove outside the Jolo airport in Sulu province, including some who jumped off the aircraft before it exploded, military officials said. Three of seven villagers who were hit on the ground died.

Pictures from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from wreckage strewn among coconut palms as men in combat uniform milled around, while a column of thick black smoke rose into the sky.

The aircraft had 96 people on board, including three pilots and five crew, while the rest were army personnel, the military said, adding only five soldiers remained unaccounted for late on Sunday (local time). The pilots survived but were seriously injured.

The Lockheed C-130 transport aircraft had attempted to land at Jolo airport, but it overshot the runway without touching down. It failed to regain enough power and height and crashed at nearby Patikul.

A military spokesman, Colonel Edgard Arevalo, said there was no sign of any attack on the plane, but an investigation had yet to begin as efforts were focused on rescue and treatment.

The military command said the soldiers aboard had the rank of private and were being deployed to their battalions. They were flying to the provincial airport of Jolo from Laguindingan, about 460 kilometres to the north-east.

The airport is located a few kilometres from a mountainous area where the military has been fighting a long war against Islamist fighters from Abu Sayyaf and other factions. Some militants have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group.