Indonesian aircraft under scrutiny as death toll rises to 140

MEDAN: Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo promised a review of the country’s ageing air force fleet and a defence modernisation drive yesterday as the death toll from the crash of a military transport plane climbed to about 140.

The Hercules C-130B aircraft, which went into service half a century ago, was carrying 122 people when it ploughed into a residential area in Medan shortly after taking off from an air base.

The incident throws a renewed spotlight on Indonesia’s woeful air safety record.

A military spokesperson said 135 people were con- firmed dead, including all those on board the plane.

The Metro-TV news channel said at least 141 bodies had been brought to a nearby hospital, indicating that about 20 people were killed on the ground.

“There must be an evaluation of the age of planes and defence systems,” Widodo tweeted. The plane had been on its way from an air force base in Medan to Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands off Sumatra. Media said the pilot had asked to return to the base because of technical problems.

Victims’ families said yesterday some passengers had paid to get on the aircraft. Air force chief Agus Supriatna denied that passengers had been asked to pay.

“What we fear is that there may be certain people offering to take passengers on board without permission, that is what we are investigating,” Supriatna said.