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Muslim World News Updates |
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19 May 2009
At least 93 people have died after an Indonesian
military transport plane crashed into a village in
East Java, air force officials have said.
The crash, during what the military says was a
routine training mission, occurred on Wednesday
morning near the town of Madiun in the Gaplak district
of East Java.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft, carrying more than 100
passengers and crew, crashed into several houses on
the ground before skidding into a rice paddy field
sending flames and billowing smoke into the air.
Footage shown on Indonesian television showed
burning wreckage strewn over a rice field with only
the plane's tail remaining intact.
At least 10 children, the families of military
personnel, were believed to have been on the flight.
Officials have said they expect the death toll to
rise once they are able to sift through the wreckage.
Indonesian media reports said about 15 injured
people had been sent to local hospitals, many
suffering from bad burns. It is not clear
The Hercules aircraft was flying from Halim airbase
near Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, to a base near
Madiun when it came down.
The weather was clear at the time of the crash and
investigations have begun into the cause of the
disaster.
Explosions
An eyewitness named Tofa told Indonesia's Metro TV
news channel that he had heard two explosions as the
plane crashed in flames.
He said local residents immediately ran to help pull
passengers from the burning wreckage.
Other witnesses reported seeing the plane split apart
in mid-air following a loud explosion.
Indonesia's air force has long complained of being
underfunded and handicapped by a recently lifted US
ban on weapons sales.
The air force has suffered a series of accidents,
including one last month involving a Fokker 27 plane
that crashed into an airport hangar, killing all 24 on
board.
Last week a Hercules aircraft lost a wheel after it
overshot the runway as it came in to land in the
eastern Indonesian province of Papua.
Recent years have also seen a series of deadly crashes
involving commercial passenger planes, and Indonesian
airlines are currently banned from European Union
airspace over safety concerns.
EsinIslam.Com
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