COTABATO, Philippines, January 28, 2010 (AFP) - Eight soldiers were killed and a boy went missing when a small military plane crashed into a residential area in the southern Philippine city of Cotabato on Thursday, a military official said.

All eight people aboard were killed as the Nomad aircraft burst into a ball of flames on impact, setting fire to two houses, said the regional military chief, Major-General Raymundo Ferrer.

All the victims were soldiers, including Major-General Mario Lacson, who commanded an army division, Ferrer told reporters.

A boy in one of the burnt houses remained missing after the plane crashed in the area at 11:25 am (0325 GMT), Ferrer said.