Philippine military plane catches fire with 120 people on board

A Philippine military plane caught fire with more than120 people on board Wednesday shortly before taking off for thedisputed South China Sea, an air force spokesman said.No injuries were reported after emergency teams at the Clark Air Basein Pampanga province, 84 kilometres north of Manila, responded to theincident, according to air force spokesman Major Aristides Galang.The air force has suspended operations of its remaining C-130spending inspection, he added.The aircraft was on its way to the western city of Puerto Princesaand then Pagasa Island, the largest area claimed and occupied by thePhilippines in the South China Sea. "It was about to take off when [the place's left side] caught fire,"Galang said, adding that investigators were still determining thecause of the fire.There were 115 passengers and seven crew members on board the planewhen the incident happened. The passengers included students from theNational Defence College of the Philippines. "The primary mission [of the trip] was to ferry the students," Galangsaid. "They will be visiting Pag-asa Island as part of theircurriculum."The South China Sea, a key shipping lane believed to be rich inmarine and mineral resources, is also claimed by China, Vietnam,Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. In 2016, an international tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijinghas no legal or historical basis for its so-called "nine-dash line,"which demarcates its claims to almost the entire South China Sea, ina case filed by the Philippines.