Plane Crash in Indonesia, Number of Casualties Undetermined

CNN reported that according to an Indonesian Rec Cross Official the death count in Jakarta, Indonesia has risen to 70. A military transport plane in Medan, Indonesia crashed shortly after it took off. The plane crashed into a hotel and several homes when it went down.

According to NBC News, Air Marshal Agus Supriatna no one aboard the plane survived, however as the death toll rises officials are seeing a rise in the number of victims on the ground.

FOX News reported that the plane that went down was a C-130B Hercules, it was built in 1964. The aircraft had already made two stops, and crashed just a few minutes after leaving the Soewando air force base.

Supriatna told reporters that the pilot of the plane had been asked to return back to the base, indicating that there “must have been a problem.” Witnesses told reporters that it looked like the plane exploded or suffered an engine fire right before it crashed.

Part of the uncertainty about the number of casualties is that it is not uncommon for passengers to “hitch rides” on military planes in Indonesia.

While different numbers are being reported as to how many victims have resulted as a result of this crash, there is little hope that anybody on board has survived. The plane crashed into a very dense area, because of this the number is expected to rise.