Indonesian plane crashes, at least 79 dead

May 20, 2009 09:44

An Indonesian military plane carrying more than 100 people crashed into a row of houses and burst into flames, killing at least 79, the latest in a string of accidents plaguing the country's beleaguered air force. Dozens were injured and more feared dead, with local television flashing footage of fire engulfing the mangled wreckage. Black smoke billowed in the air, as soldiers carried badly burnt bodies on stretchers to waiting ambulances. Military spokesman Sagom Tamboen said the aging C-130 Hercules was transporting troops and their families, including at least 10 children, when it tumbled from the sky near an air force base in East Java province. It slammed into several houses in Geplak village, killing three on the ground, and then skidded into a rice field. The plane's charred tail and several chunks of its wing and body were scattered in the paddy.

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