REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has offered condolences over the Hercules plane crash that has claimed more than 130 lives in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan.
"We are saddened by the TNI AU (Air Force) plane crash," Yudhoyono said in his twitter account @SBYudhoyono on Wednesday.
"May those killed be quiet on the side of God, Allah SWT," he added.
The TNI AU soldiers were killed while performing their state duties in the holy month of Ramadhan, he said adding "May the bereaved families would get the patience."
Captain Sandy Permana who piloted the Hercules plane was one of the best Air Force officers, he said.
A Hercules C-130 transport aircraft of the TNI AU crashed in Jamin Ginting Road in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra province, on Tuesday, at 12:10 p.m. local time.
The site of the crash is widely known as one of the busiest roads that connects Medan and Brastagi tourist resort.
The transport aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Polonia Airbase during its flight from Medan to Natuna Island.
The ill-fated aircraft was carrying supplies from Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in Jakarta to several others, such as Pekanbaru, Medan, Tanjung Pinang, Ranai (Natuna Island), and Pontianak.
At least 134 people were killed in the plane crash.
By Tuesday the bodies of 134 victims have been moved to Adam Malik Hospital by a joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team.
The police's Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team is currently working on identifying the remains.
Of the total 134 bodies, the DVI team has so far managed to identify 30 bodies, North Sumatra Police Chief Inspector General Eko Hadi Sutedjo revealed.
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