President Michel sends condolences to Indonesia following military aircraft disaster |02 July 2015

President James Michel has, on behalf of the government and people of Seychelles, has expressed profound sorrow to Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia, following the Indonesian Air Force aircraft disaster, which claimed the lives of all aboard and others on the ground.

“We wish courage and strength to the families and loved ones of the victims. Our thoughts and prayers are very much with the people of Indonesia during this difficult time,” said President Michel in his message.

The military transport plane, a Hercules C-130, crashed in a residential area of the Indonesian city of Medan, hitting two houses and a hotel before bursting into flames, creating a huge fireball.

As of yesterday, 141 bodies have been recovered from the rubble of the residential area where the plane crashed shortly after takeoff on Tuesday.

The air force says there were 122 people on the plane including military personnel and their families.

The crash of the aircraft, which had been in service since 1964, occurred only two minutes after it took off from Soewondo air force base in Medan on Sumatra, one of Indonesia's main islands.

The plane had travelled from the capital, Jakarta, and stopped at two locations before arriving at Medan.