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Indonesia transport plane crash: More than 100 feared dead
video of 1 min 19 sec at the upper link + 5 pictures (BBC News)
Medan, Medan City, Sumatra du Nord, Indonésie
Medan in wikipedia
More than 100 people are feared dead after a military transport plane crashed in a residential area
of the Indonesian city of Medan.
The Hercules C-130 plane hit two houses and a hotel before bursting into flames, creating a huge fireball.
Air Force head Agus Supriatna visited the crash site and told reporters he believed there were no survivors
among the 113 people on board. At least 66 bodies have been recovered so far. A major rescue operation is
under way at the 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.
Many of the passengers are thought to have been relatives of servicemen and women. It is too early to know
exactly how many people were killed in the disaster, or what caused it, our correspondent says. Large crowds
watched the emergency services search the flaming wreckage. The plane had just taken off when it ran into
trouble.
"It passed overhead a few times, really low," a witness told the Reuters news agency. "There was fire and black
smoke. The third time it came by it crashed into the roof of the hotel and exploded straight away." Mr Supriatna s
aid 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 practise 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
Are you in Medan? Have you been affected by what has happened? If it is safe for you to do so, you can share
your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist,
please include a contact telephone number when emailing us your details.
Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971
''The Hercules transport plane was manufactured in 1964, but a military spokesman said he was convinced that
it was in good condition.''
Is it possible ? (Civvy here ...) Is there an accurate thread on those Hercules C-130 around here ?
video of 1 min 19 sec at the upper link + 5 pictures (BBC News)
Medan, Medan City, Sumatra du Nord, Indonésie
Medan in wikipedia
More than 100 people are feared dead after a military transport plane crashed in a residential area
of the Indonesian city of Medan.
The Hercules C-130 plane hit two houses and a hotel before bursting into flames, creating a huge fireball.
Air Force head Agus Supriatna visited the crash site and told reporters he believed there were no survivors
among the 113 people on board. At least 66 bodies have been recovered so far. A major rescue operation is
under way at the 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.
Many of the passengers are thought to have been relatives of servicemen and women. It is too early to know
exactly how many people were killed in the disaster, or what caused it, our correspondent says. Large crowds
watched the emergency services search the flaming wreckage. The plane had just taken off when it ran into
trouble.
"It passed overhead a few times, really low," a witness told the Reuters news agency. "There was fire and black
smoke. The third time it came by it crashed into the roof of the hotel and exploded straight away." Mr Supriatna s
aid 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 practise 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
Are you in Medan? Have you been affected by what has happened? If it is safe for you to do so, you can share
your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. If you would be happy to speak further to a BBC journalist,
please include a contact telephone number when emailing us your details.
Or WhatsApp us on +44 7525 900971
''The Hercules transport plane was manufactured in 1964, but a military spokesman said he was convinced that
it was in good condition.''
Is it possible ? (Civvy here ...) Is there an accurate thread on those Hercules C-130 around here ?
