July 11 (UPI) -- A U.S. Marine aircraft crashed in Mississippi on Monday night, killing all 16 military personnel on board, local authorities said.
Fred Randle, Leflore County emergency management director, confirmed that there were no survivors in the crash, and all 16 victims were Marines.
The plane crashed in a soybean field in Leflore County, located about 100 miles north of Jackson, Miss. The debris from the crash scattered throughout a 5-mile radius.
A Mississippi state trooper told WMC Action News 5 that the plane had a great deal of ammunition on board, making investigation efforts difficult.
"There's a lot of ammo in the plane. That's why we are keeping so far back. We just don't know what it'll do. It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down," the trooper said.
Investigators also told the news crew they believe the plane exploded in mid-air.
