Military plane crashes into Indonesia hotel, over 100 dead

A C-130B Hercules military transport plane built in 1964 and carrying over 100 people, crashed into a hotel in northern Indonesia shortly after take-off. So far 113 have been found dead. It has not yet been determined if some of those who died were tourists staying at the hotel.

The hotel is located in a residential area in the North Sumatra city of Medan, and the C130-B had just taken off from an air force nearby on its way to Tanjung Pinang in the Riau Islands off Sumatra.

According to reports from witnesses, it looked like the aircraft exploded before it came down and crashed into a hotel and surrounding homes. It was reported that the pilot had asked to return to base, so it is presumed there was a known problem right before the crash.

The aircraft was carrying 12 crew and 101 passengers, including military family members. There were no survivors. The death toll on the ground has not yet been established.

The flight had just taken off from a nearby air force base, and within minutes, it had crashed. It was on its way to Tanjung Pinang, a city in the in Riau Islands off Sumatra.