C130 Hercules crash

At least 97 people have been killed after a Hercules transport plane crashed on the Indonesian island of Java.

The C-130 Hercules aircraft ploughed into several houses on the ground, scattering debris and sending flames and billowing smoke into the air.

Government spokesman Rustam Pakaya said 97 people had been killed and 15 injured, including some on the ground.

Indonesian air force spokesman Bambang Soelistyo said there were 11 crew and 98 passengers, including ten children, on board the aircraft, including air force personnel and civilian family members.

National military spokesman Sagom Tamboen said the plane had been in good condition and the weather was clear before the crash.

The plane had been on a regular flight from Jakarta to the base in East Java transporting military personnel and their families. It had been due to fly on to Sulawesi and Papua.

Television footage from the scene showed people desperately trying to extinguish flames with buckets of water.

Agus Yulianto, an eyewitness, said the plane appeared to tilt in the air and objects rained down from the aircraft before it crashed.