Three killed as Portuguese air force plane catches fire

Three Portuguese air force personnel were killed and four others injured on Monday when their C130 military transport plane caught fire as it was preparing to take off from an air base south of Lisbon, the emergency services said.

There were seven people on board the plane which was on a training exercise, the air force said in a statement

The four injured staffers were rushed to hospital where one was said to be in a serious condition.

An enquiry has been opened into the cause of the accident which happened at the Montijo air base in a suburb of the Portuguese capital.