At least 16 people have been killed after a US Marine Corps plane crashed in the US state of Mississippi, officials said.

Fred Randle, the local county emergency management director, told US media that all 16 victims were on the plane and there were no survivors.

The KC-130 transport aircraft crashed late on Monday in rural Mississippi about 135km north of the state capital city of Jackson.

Marine Corps spokeswoman Sarah Burns said in a statement that a plane "experienced a mishap", but provided no other details on the circumstances of the crash.

A USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available. pic.twitter.com/QEFhooJZmC — U.S. Marines (@USMC) July 11, 2017

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said the incident was a "tragedy", but provided no other details.

Images posted online showed the crumpled wreckage of a plane engulfed in flames in a field surrounded by tall vegetation, with a large plume of smoke in the sky.

The aircraft is used for air-to-air refuelling, to carry cargo and perform tactical passenger missions.

Andy Jones, who was working on his family's farm near the crash site, told the Associated Press that he heard a boom and looked up and saw the plane corkscrewing down to the ground.