ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP) — With debris scattered for miles across the flat countryside of the Mississippi Delta, federal and local officials combed soybean fields for clues in a military plane crash that killed 15 Marines and a Navy sailor.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder released a statement today identifying one of the men killed as Detroit native Julian Kevianne.
“Michigan is grieving with the nation over the terrible tragedy,” Snyder said in the release. “The members of our country’s military have made an incredible commitment to our nation, and each and every one of them gives us a reason to be proud. Let us come together as a state and a nation during his difficult time to support and honor our military who have done so much for us and their families as they mourn their losses.”
Six of the Marines and the sailor were from an elite Marine Raider battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and were headed for pre-deployment training in Yuma, Arizona, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.
Several bouquets were left at the main gate of Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, where the plane was based. Officials said some of those killed were from the base, but Stewart was closed to reporters and did not issue a statement.
“We’re feeling the pain that everybody else is,” Robert Brush said after dropping off three pots of red, white and blue petunias. He works for a landscaping company that serves the base.
Military officials continued to withhold the names of the dead, saying they were notifying family members.
Witnesses said they heard low, rumbling explosions when the plane was still high in the sky Monday, saw the aircraft spiraling toward the flat, green landscape and spotted an apparently empty parachute floating toward the earth. It was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down during a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.
The crash happened outside the small town of Itta Bena about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of the state capital of Jackson. Bodies were found more than a mile from the plane.
The Marine Corps said the cause was under investigation and offered no information on whether the plane issued a distress call.
With the investigation underway, Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant warned people not to remove debris from the area and said that anyone taking something could be prosecuted.
Bryant, in statements Tuesday on Twitter, said law enforcement authorities have received reports that items are being taken from the crash site. Debris from the KC-130 is scattered for miles.
Sheriff’s deputies and state troopers have been trying to control access to sites, but the broad area and number of roads makes that difficult. Bryant asked people to stay away and turn debris over to authorities.