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Dozens Killed When Indonesian Military Plane Crashes Into Hotel
A C-130 Hercules military plane crashed into a hotel in Medan on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Tuesday, with a local Red Cross official confirming at least 43 deaths and predicting that the number will rise, CNN reports.
The plane had just taken off with a crew of 12 from Soewondo Air Force Base, located roughly 3 miles from the crash, carrying supplies to Indonesian bases on other islands.
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Reuters notes that Tuesday’s disaster was the latest in a series of deadly aviation accidents for authorities in Indonesia:
According to the Aviation Safety Network, there have been 10 fatal crashes involving Indonesian military or police aircraft over the last decade.
The accidents put under a spotlight the safety record of Indonesia's aviation and its aging commercial and military aircraft. [Military spokesman Fuad] Basya said the plane that crashed on Tuesday was built in 1964.
ABC adds that Medan was the site of a Boeing 737 crash in 2005 that killed 100 passengers and crew and 49 people on the groud.