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Over 100 feared dead after military aircraft crashes in Indonesia More than 100 feared dead after military aircraft crashes in Indonesia
(35 minutes later)
Over 100 people on board an Indonesian military aircraft that careered into the side of a building and burst into flames just minutes after take off are feared dead. More than 116 people are feared dead on Indonesia’s Sumatra island after a military aeroplane careered into the side of a building and burst into flames just minutes after takeoff.
Twelve crew members and 101 passengers, including military officers and their family members, were on board the C-130 Hercules plane when it crashed shortly after leaving an air force base in Medan on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Twelve crew members and 101 passengers, including military officers and family members, were on board the C-130 Hercules when it crashed after leaving an air force base in Medan, a city of two million.
Air force chief Agus Supriatna told local Metro TV news he was doubtful there would be any survivors. Air marshal Agus Supriatna told local Metro TV news that all 113 people on board died. “No, no. No survivors,” he said when asked about the possibility, “I just returned from the site.”
“No, no. No survivors,” he said when asked about the possibility, “I just returned from the site.” Many passengers were likely to be family members of servicemen and women, said a spokesman for Medan air base from where the plane departed. At least one child has been confirmed as dead.
The Hercules plane crashed into a residential area in the densely populated city of Medan two minutes after take off from the Soewondo air force base en route to drop off supplies to the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea. Search and rescue officials said that three people were killed on the ground when the 51-year-old Hercules plane crashed two minutes after takeoff from the Soewondo air force base en route to drop off supplies to the Natuna Islands in the South China Sea. It went down near a newly built residential area, hitting a massage parlour and a small hotel.
Police and rescue teams have pulled 49 bodies from the crash site and transported them to Adam Malik general hospital in Medan to be identified. Police and rescue teams had pulled 84 bodies from the wreckage by Tuesday night and transported them to Adam Malik general hospital in Medan to be identified.
Dramatic pictures of the scene uploaded to social media showed the wreckage of the aircraft in flames and a crowd of onlookers amid the plumes of thick smoke. Police said rescuers were still trying to get into the ruined massage parlour, a three-storey building, and they did not know whether there were people inside.
Dramatic pictures of the scene showed the wreckage of the aircraft in flames and a crowd of onlookers amid the plumes of thick smoke.
#BREAKING #IndonesianAirForce #C130 reg no. #A1310 crashed departing Medan Polonia otw Tanjung Pinang. pic.twitter.com/Yh0dB3HWV1#BREAKING #IndonesianAirForce #C130 reg no. #A1310 crashed departing Medan Polonia otw Tanjung Pinang. pic.twitter.com/Yh0dB3HWV1
“I saw the plane from the direction of the airport and it was tilting already, then I saw smoke billowing,” local resident Januar, 26, told AFP. “I saw the plane from the direction of the airport and it was tilting already, then I saw smoke billowing,” said resident, Januar, 26.
Other shots showed the side of one building gutted by the impact of the crash and damage to nearby buildings and cars. Other pictures showed the side of one building gutted by the impact of the crash and damage to nearby buildings and cars.
According to Supriyatna, the Hercules aircraft was conducting a routine logistics operation. Produced in 1964, the marshal said the aircraft was well maintained and regularly used to transport personnel. The commander of the Indonesian armed forces, General Moeldoko, has called for an investigation into the incident.
But in the wake of the crash, angry lawmakers from the Indonesian parliamentary commission on defence have called on the government to replace its aging military aircraft. According to Supriatna, the Hercules aircraft was conducting a routine logistics operation. Made in 1964, the marshal said the aircraft was well maintained and was regularly used to transport personnel.
“We in the commission ask the government to buy new planes for the air force. The current fleet is mostly made up of old, poor-quality aircraft. It’s shameful that our soldiers still have to use them,” Pramono Aung told the Jakarta Post. But angry legislators from the Indonesian parliamentary commission on defence called on the government to replace its ageing military aircraft. Supriatna said the military was grounding some of its Hercules planes.
Indonesian military commander General Moeldoko has called for an investigation into the incident. “We in the commission ask the government to buy new planes for the air force,” Pramono Aung told the Jakarta Post. “The current fleet is mostly made up of old, poor-quality aircraft. It’s shameful that our soldiers still have to use them.”
In the late 1990s and mid 2000s, a string of fatal plane crashes in Indonesia was blamed on the US military embargo put in place because of human rights abuses perpetrated in East Timor. The disaster has once again shone a harsh light on Indonesia’s poor aviation safety record. It came just six months after an AirAsia plane crashed into the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board.
The embargo forced the Indonesian military to seek spare parts for its hardware elsewhere and fly planes that were in less than ideal conditions. It is the sixth fatal crash involving an Indonesian air force plane in the past decade, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
It was lifted a decade ago and Indonesian aviation analyst Gerry Soejatman said the air force had toughened standards since 2005: We don’t have an arms embargo so why is there a crash?” he said. In the late 1990s and mid-2000s, a string of fatal aeroplane crashes in Indonesia was blamed on the US military embargo put in place because of human rights abuses perpetrated in East Timor.
“The hangars are full with those [aircraft] that are not airworthy... The ones that are flying have to be kept airworthy. The air force is pretty strict about it now, as compared to 10 years ago.” The embargo forced the Indonesian military to seek spare parts for its hardware elsewhere and fly planes that were in poor condition, but the embargo was lifted a decade ago.
Indonesian aviation analyst, Gerry Soejatman, said: “We don’t have an arms embargo so why is there a crash?”. The hangars are full with those [aircraft] that are not airworthy ... The ones that are flying have to be kept airworthy. The air force is pretty strict about it now, as compared to 10 years ago.”
No details have been released regarding whether mechanical or human error led to the crash, but a witness said the plane was emitting smoke from at least one of its engines.No details have been released regarding whether mechanical or human error led to the crash, but a witness said the plane was emitting smoke from at least one of its engines.
In 2009, an Indonesian air force Hercules hit four houses before skidding into a rice field killing 95 people on board and two on the ground. Last December, an Airbus A320 run by AirAsia crashed on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore, killing all 162 people on board. In 2009, an Indonesian air force Hercules hit four houses before skidding into a rice field, killing 95 people on board and two on the ground, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
In December, an Airbus A320 run by AirAsia crashed on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore, killing all 162 people on board.