C-130 Hercules Aircraft Crashes In Medan

MEDAN, INDONESIA, June 30 (Antara) - An Indonesian Air Force C-130 aircraft crashed in Jalan Jamin Ginting of Medan City, North Sumatra Province, on Tuesday, at 11:50 a.m. local time. The aircraft took off from runway number 23 of the Suwondo Airbase, Medan, at 11:48 a.m. local time, but minutes into the flight, the pilot sought permission to return to base. The aircraft did not reach the runway and instead crashed into an under construction shop house in the Medan Tuntungan sub-district. The crash triggered a fire in the fuselage and also spread to several houses. According to Edo, a firefighter of Medan City, the team needs at least two hours to extinguish the burning fuselage. Several officials, including North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho and the North Sumatra Police Regional Chief Inspector General Eko Hadi, visited the scene and were still gathering data regarding the casualties and victims. According to the initial report provided by the Indonesian Air Force, the aircraft carried 12 personnel and was en route to Tanjung Pinang Airport, Riau Islands Province. --Antara