DAVAO City, Philippines – (UPDATE) Authorities have activated a task force to determine how and why a Philippine Air Force C-130 crashed minutes after taking off from an airport here, a police official said.

At the same time, Chief Superintendent Andres Caro, police regional chief for Region 1, told reporters Tuesday night that US divers would help in the recovery of the aircraft that had on board two pilots and seven passengers at the time of the incident.

“Joint Task Force Rescue C-130” will be headed by Captain Rosauro Gonzales of the Naval forces of the Eastern Mindanao Command for search and rescue operations, said Caro.

Other members of the investigating body are the Coast Guard, Philippine Navy, and the Davao rescue team and the maritime group, Caro said.

The lead agency into the investigation of the crash is the Philippine Air Force, he said, adding that a technical team had been sent to the crash site.

Caro also dispelled opinions that the plane was brought down in a terrorist attack. “The plane was flying out of the range of RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] and there are no sophisticated missile systems in the country.”

As to whether the crash was caused by a bomb, Caro said it would depend on the recovery of at least parts of the plane and the subsequent investigation.

"We have to first salvage the aircraft before we can fully investigate," said Caro.

This is why, he said, the US is set to help in recovery operations.

“What is needed is technical diving equipment, something like for deep sea diving,” said Caro.

He said they were able to spot the plane at the bottom of the ocean at 700 feet.

Using equipment, Caro said they spotted the “cylindrical” part of the plane. “At those depths, the usual diving equipment would not be enough. We need the more advanced equipment,” he said.

Caro also said it was not likely there would be any survivors of the crash. “But we are keeping our fingers crossed.”

The 37-year-old Lockheed Martin C-130 was on its way to Iloilo City from Davao City to pick up personnel of the Presidential Security Guard Monday night when it went down four kilometers off the shore of Barangay (village) Bucana.

Caro said at least three witnesses in three different locations saw the plane’s wings on fire before it went down into the sea.