By JIM GOMEZ,
MANILA, Philippines – A Russian-made cargo plane crashed and burst into flames in a rice field north of the Philippine capital Wednesday as it attempted a landing. Three crew were killed and three pulled out alive from the burning wreckage.
The Antonov 12 aircraft was flying from Mactan in the central Philippines and crashed about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of Clark airport, the former U.S. Air Base near Manila, said Alfonso Cusi, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines.
Firefighters struggled into the night to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft after it exploded on impact, ripping the plane into two sections, said police Chief Inspector Carlito Fabro.
Villagers managed to rescue three crew members _ two Russians and an Uzbek, who suffered bruises and were brought to a police station to rest, police said.
Three other crew were found dead near the cockpit, Cusi said, adding investigators were trying to identify the badly burned bodies.
The Antonov 12 plane was leased by a Manila-based airline company for domestic use, Cusi said. Clark's tower lost communication with the aircraft at about 8:50 p.m. (1250 GMT).
"Their communication signal suddenly got garbled then the plane disappeared in the radar," CusiN
