All 113 On Board Ill-Fated Plane Feared Dead

JAKARTA, July 1 (Bernama) -- Indonesian Air Force chief Marshall Agus Supriatna has confirmed that the C-130 plane belonging to the Indonesian Air Force that crashed in Medan at midday Tuesday was carrying 12 crew and 111 passengers and all were feared dead. He said the crew consisted of a pilot and a co-pilot and supporting crew while the rest were believed to be civilians who were family members of the air force's personnel. "Altogether there were 113 people on board. Not likely there are any survivors. The latest information is that 49 bodies have been retrieved. This I will have to check with the Adam Malik Hospital in Medan," he said when interviewed by Indonesia's Metro TV. Agus said so far 23 of the bodies had been identified but their names could not be released as yet. The authorities also confirmed that some of the dead victims were children, some below five years old. The plane crashed in a public housing area in Medan, north Sumatra at 11.50 am Tuesday, minutes after taking off from the Soewondo Air Base in Medan According to witnesses, the plane exploded middair before crashing and that chunks of debris slammed into shops in the area including a building named BS Okup which served as a traditional healing centre. Search and rescue efforts are underway at the scene of the crash. -- BERNAMA