U.S. Marine airplane crashes in Mississippi killing 16 people

At least 16 people are dead after a U.S. Marine Corps. KC-130 airplane from Tennessee crashed into a soybean field in Mississippi Monday. 

LeFlore County EMA Director Fred Randal told WLBT that at least 16 people died in the crash on the aircraft that departed from Memphis. 

Officials have recovered 16 bodies from the scene as emergency personnel are still searching the large debris field.

'Most of them are gonna (sic) be Marines,' LeFlore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said. It's unclear if there were any civilians on the plan. 

Alan Hammons, an official with the Greenwood Airport, told CBS affiliate WNBD-D1 the plane was being tracked by air traffic controllers in Memphis and suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet.

The official Twitter account of the U.S. Marine Corps. tweeted that a 'USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.'

Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns also said in a statement that a Marine aircraft 'experienced a mishap' Monday evening.