C-130 Crashes in East Java

(Magetan, East Java, Indonesia) A C-130 military transport plane carrying troops and families crashed into residences and burst into flames yesterday on approach to an air force base.

The plane was carrying at least 109 passengers and crew when it went down in Geplak, a village 520 kilometers east of Jakarta, including troops and their families. At least 10 children were among them.

At least 98 people were killed, including two on the ground, and 15 others survived, said Bambang Samudro, chief of the military air base in Magetan. Many of the injured suffered severe burns.

The country’s air force, long underfunded and handicapped by a recently lifted US ban on weapons sales, has suffered a series of accidents, including a Fokker 27 plane that crashed into an airport hangar last month, killing all 24 onboard.

The airworthiness of Indonesian military and commercial planes is questionable. The planes are old and suffer from poor maintenance, making air travel risky.