Indonesian military plane crashes in ball of flames

An Indonesian military transport plane crashed today shortly after take-off in a city on Sumatra island, exploding in a ball of flames in a residential area.
There was no immediate information on the number of people on board or any casualties on the ground after the Hercules plane went down in the city of Medan.
Dramatic pictures on social media showed large crowds and emergency services gathering around the flaming wreckage, with the fuselage of the aircraft visible among thick plumes of black smoke. Buildings in the vicinity of the crash zone were also clearly damaged.
"I saw the plane from the direction of the airport and it was tilting already, then I saw smoke billowing," local resident Januar, 26, told AFP, only giving his first name.

He said the plane crashed into a newly built residential area, although it was unclear whether it was occupied yet. Police had cordoned off the area.
"A Hercules was... Transporting military logistics from Medan," military spokesman Fuad Basya told AFP.

The plane took off 12:08 pm (local time) from an air force base and crashed in the city about two minutes later about five kilometres (three miles) from the base, he said.
Asked about potential casualties, Basya said: "We don't know for sure but inside there will be the plane crew, pilot, but I don't know how many."
"It crashed near a residential area and caught fire," search and rescue agency official Tatang Zainuddin told AFP.

"We have asked our search and rescue office in Medan to immediately go to the site for evacuation of any victims.