Airplane Crashes, Killing Scores

VIVAnews - A Fokker-27 airplane belonging to the Indonesian air force crashed Monday afternoon in  West Java capital of Bandung and hit an aircraft service hangar of an Indonesian aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia. A witness reported that during the incident, heavy rain was pouring over the area.

"When the airplane crashed, the rain was falling heavily," a staff of consumer support of PT Dirgantara Indonesia, Eman Surahman, told VIVAnews on Monday, April 6.

During the incident, the aircraft was suspected of carrying 23 passengers. "There were 17 paratroopers and six airplane crews," Commander of Operation I Command, Rear Marshal Imam Sufa'at told VIVAnews.

Sufa'at said 34 paratroopers previously boarded the airplane. Prior to the incident, 17 paratroopers had jumped on the sky of Bandung. 17 other paratroopers were said as on-training paratroopers from the Indonesian Air Force Special Forces. "They were observing on how to jump from an airplane," said Sufa'at.

Latest report said the students left in the plane as well as the six airplane crews were allegedly killed during the incident. Their bodies are now being transported to several hospitals in Bandung.

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Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono