Dozens dead as military plane crashes into Indonesian city centre

An Indonesian air force plane has crashed into a residential area, killing at least 74 people. Buildings and cars on the ground were destroyed when the C-130 Hercules crashed in the city of Medan on the island of Sumatra shortly after take-off on Tuesday. The plane’s manifest showed there were 50 people on board, but air force officials say there may have been more than 100 people on the flight. Air force chief Agus Supriatna said the pilot told the control tower the plane needed to turn back because of engine trouble.

Based on reports, there are many victims still in the field.

Red Cross worker Eko Triandi

He also said the pilot told the control tower the plane needed to turn back because of engine trouble. “The plane crashed while it was turning right to return to the airport,” Mr Supriatna said. He said there were 17 military personnel on the plane. Indonesia has a patchy aviation safety record. Between 2007 and 2009, the European Union barred Indonesian airlines from flying to Europe because of safety concerns. The country’s most recent civilian airline disaster was in December, when an AirAsia jet with 162 people on board crashed into the Java Sea en route from Surabaya to Singapore.

Flames and black smoke were coming from the plane in the air.

Medan resident Fahmi Sembiring

Medan crash Asia-Pacific