Hercules ulykken i Medan - Antall omkomne stiger

 

Indonesia transport plane crash: At least 37 killed

• 2 minutes ago
• From the section Asia

At least 37 people have been killed in a military transport plane crash in a residential area of the Indonesian city of Medan, officials say.

The Hercules C-130 plane crashed into two houses and a car and burst into flames creating a huge fireball.
Military spokesman Fuad Basya told the BBC that the plane came down soon after take-off and that there were at least 12 crew members on board.
Officials say that bodies were recovered from the plane wreckage.
A major rescue operation is under way at the crash site which was covered in flames and thick black smoke.

The BBC's Alice Budisatrijo in Jakarta says that only the tail of the aircraft is still recognisable; the rest has been reduced to debris.
Our correspondent says that there are reports that people are trapped inside wrecked buildings and the nearest hospital is continuing to receive bodies arriving from the crash site.
It is too early to know exactly how many people were killed in the disaster, our correspondent says, or what caused it.

Military personnel removed an aircraft wheel from the crash site on Tuesday

Rescuers are having to deal with wreckage from the aircraft as well as debris from destroyed buildings

The crash is one of several involving military aircraft in recent years

A large crowd has gathered at the crash site

Large crowds watched the emergency services search the flaming wreckage, with the fuselage of the aircraft visible through the thick plumes of smoke.
"I saw the plane from the direction of the airport and it was tilting already, then I saw smoke billowing," a local resident told the AFP news agency.
Air Force Chief of Staff Agus Supriatna said that the pilot had asked to return to base because of technical difficulties.
"The plane crashed while it was turning right to return to the airport,'' he said.
The Hercules transport plane was manufactured in 1964, but a military spokesman said he was convinced that it was in good condition.
Correspondents say that it is the second time in 10 years that a plane has crashed in Medan.
In September 2005, a Boeing 737 came down in a crowded residential area shortly after take-off from Medan's Polonia airport, killing 143 people including 30 on the ground.

The latest crash in Medan is one of several involving military aircraft since 2009:

• April 2015: An F-16 fighter jet catches fire as it takes off from an airbase in Jakarta,
• March 2015: Two air force planes from an Indonesian aerobatics team crash during a practice session
• November 2013: An army helicopter crashes near the Indonesian-Malaysian border, killing 13 people
• August 2013: A door from a training helicopter falls onto a residential area of Jakarta
• 2012, nine people killed after an Indonesian air force plane crashed into a housing complex in Jakarta
• 2009 military transport plane carrying troops and their families crashed in Java, killing 98 people