[2] The aircraft involved in the incident is a Lockheed C-130H Hercules operated by the Philippine Air Force (PAF) with the tail number 5125.

[10] The soldiers on board were meant to augment the Jolo-based 11th Infantry Division which is after the Abu Sayyaf group operating in the area.

[11][12] On July 4, 2021, the aircraft took off from Villamor Air Base in Pasay and headed to Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro.

[25] Tausug civilians as well as members of the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) militia also reportedly helped extract survivors of the burning crash site.

[29][30] Most people who died from the crash were burned beyond recognition and their identities had to be determined through various means including DNA testing and relying on surviving clothing and accessories and body marks.

[31] On July 5, President Rodrigo Duterte travelled to the Western Mindanao Command of the AFP in Zamboanga City to pay his respects to the families of the military personnel who were killed in the crash.

[32] The AFP also declared a six-day mourning period, ordering that all flags in camps and military installation across the country be flown at half-mast.

[35] The Department of National Defense and the military has urged the public to refrain from spreading "highly speculative statements" about the incident and assured that an investigation on the crash is already being done.