3 die as Philippines cargo plane crashes

As many as three crew members died as a Philippine cargo plane caught fire on Thursday.The Russian-made Antonov-12 aircraft was flying from Mactan in the central Philippines and crashed in the field about 22 miles south of Clark airport, the former US 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 hospital in nearby Mexico Township. Three other crew members were found dead near the cockpit, Cusi said, adding investigators were trying to identify the burnt bodies. A police report said they included two Russian ground engineers and a Bulgarian.Police quoted the Russian pilot as saying that the plane encountered electric circuit trouble about an hour into the flight, and a fire that broke out forced him to make an emergency landing in the open field. The plane was chartered by shipping company UPS Inc. from its owner, Interisland Airlines of the Philippines.