10 military personnel killed in plane crash

CAGUAS, Puerto Rico -- Rescuers struggled until sunset Thursday to recover the bodies of 10 military personnel killed when a U.S. Air Force special operations plane slammed into a mountain.

The victims were based in Florida and Puerto Rico, the military said.

Police in this U.S. Caribbean territory said they had recovered seven bodies, some charred and dismembered.

The search for the remaining three was suspended at dark and was to resume at first light, but rescuers feared there would be no bodies to find. The bodies still missing were of the pilot, co-pilot and engineer, all of whom would have been in the cockpit, which took the brunt of the crash, said Rafael Guzman, director of the State Emergency Management Agency.

The bulky MC-130H struck a wooded area on the outskirts of Caguas, 20 miles south of San Juan, while flying in rain and fog Wednesday night.

People who saw the crash told reporters the plane smashed into Monte Perucho, broke in two and erupted in flames.

Rescuers carrying stretchers and supplies climbed a narrow mountain trail made treacherous by rain, fog, dense woods and soggy underbrush. Three helicopters circled the crash site but were forced by clouds to retreat at least once and land at a baseball park being used as a base for the recovery work.

Military officials on the scene confirmed there were no survivors,, officials said, and names will be withheld until relatives are informed.