The death toll from the military plane crash in Indonesia has risen to at least 135, an Indonesian Red Cross official said Wednesday.
Searchers are continuing to pick through the wreckage of the C-130 Hercules transport plane, which had 122 people on board when it slammed into the city of Medan, on the island of Sumatra, shortly after takeoff on Tuesday.
The disaster left a hellish scene of smoldering wreckage and damaged buildings.
As well as the 135 bodies recovered, seven body bags containing body parts have also been brought from the crash site, said Zulkifli, the Red Cross official, who goes by only one name.
Engine trouble might have caused crash
Authorities are still investigating what caused the disaster. Air Marshal Agus Supriatna, the commander of the Indonesian Air Force, said Wednesday that officials suspect engine trouble might have been to blame.
Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya, an Indonesian military spokesman, had said Tuesday that the aircraft, built in the United States in the 1960s, had been inspected and cleared to fly before it took off from Medan.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for a review of military equipment in light of the disaster.
“Following several plane crashes, we should conduct a total audit and modernize the (old) planes,” Jokowi said, according to Indonesia’s national news agency, Antara.
Plane was ferrying people, supplies between islands
The plane was carrying people and logistical supplies to bases on other Indonesian islands.
It began its multistop journey Tuesday in Jakarta, the capital, and had made two stops along the way to Medan, in Pekanbaru and Dumai. Sometimes, Indonesian civilians also hitch rides on military flights to get to islands which might otherwise be inaccessible.
The military has set up command posts in Jakarta and Medan to help the victims’ families, Supriatna said.
Antara reported that the plane hit a busy road that connects Medan with the highland tourist resort of Brastagi.
The crash site is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the air base, Basya said.