At least 30 killed as military plane crashes in residential area of Medan, Indonesia

A military plane has crashed into a hotel in Medan, Indonesia, killing at least 30 people, according to a local official.

“The latest information we have is that 30 have died…. The number could go up,” Hisar Turnip, a spokesman for Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, told Reuters.

Pesawat Herkules TNI AU Jatuh di Medan, Lokasi Pemukiman Penduduk http://t.co/f9BErEdZMr via @berita_rri#rrinewspic.twitter.com/aCVx2210bT

— Info Keindonesiaan (@rriwow) June 30, 2015

Twelve crew members were on board the plane, AP reported Indonesian Air Force operations commander Agus Dwi Putranto as saying on local TV. The number of passengers on board as yet remains unknown. Al-Jazeera correspondent Stephanie Dekker tweeted that the pilots had asked to return to base after take-off as something was wrong with the plane. After the plane turned around, it crashed, Dekker said. The plane was heading to the remote Natuna Islands, military spokesman Fuad Basya told Reuters.

Sebuah pesawat TNI jenis Hercules jatuh di Kelurahan Mangga, Padang Bulan, Medan (30/6/2015) siang pic.twitter.com/N7U1haskAk

— Suku Karo (@karobukanbatakk) June 30, 2015

Photo appears to show site of air force plane crash in residential area of Medan, Sumatra – kondekturbus_ pic.twitter.com/nCsN8vwzxY

— SavageNation (@SavageNation) June 30, 2015

Photos posted online on social media show the scale of the destruction, with black smoke billowing from the crash site, damaged cars and residential buildings in flames. Crowds of onlookers have gathered at the site.

Pesawat Jatuh di Medan, TNI AU Belum Mau Komentar http://t.co/pasJDvAVBN pic.twitter.com/slqfxCxVgz

— METRO TV (@Metro_TV) June 30, 2015

A crash happened in Medan 10 years ago, when a Mandala Airlines Boeing 737 crashed after take-off from the city’s airport into a residential community, killing 143 people – 30 of them on the ground.

With a population of 3.4 million, Medan is the third-biggest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta and Surabaya.

#BREAKING: #Indonesia C130 Hercules military plane has crashed in #Medan city pic.twitter.com/IdfqDjYIwt

— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) June 30, 2015

Warga mengerumuni lokasi jatuhnya pesawat Hercules di Medan, Sumatera Utara foto by @tbmfkusu pic.twitter.com/IeaTiVAKOU

— 99.3 DeltaFM Manado (@DeltaFMManado) June 30, 2015

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine military aircraft that can use even rudimentary runways for takeoffs and landings. It is currently the principal tactical airlifter for a lot over 60 nations worldwide, and there are 40 different models of the heavy-duty plane currently in service.