Indonesian Hercules plane tragedy: 73 bodies recovered from crash site

The bodies of 73 victims in the crash tragedy involving an Indonesian Air Force Hercules C-130 aircraft have been recovered so far from the crash site in Medan, Sumatra.

Indonesian television station Metronews reported that 39 of the victims were males and that all the bodies were brought to the Adam Malik Hospital in the city.

The report said search efforts were continuing to find more victims believed to buried in the rubble of destroyed and in the wreckage of the ill-fated plane.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Air Force chief Marshal Agus Supriyatna was quoted as saying technical problems likely caused the plane to crash.

The plane went down in a residential area in Jamin Ginting, Medan.'

He said before the plane went down, the pilot had radioed base to make an air turn back.

"Under normal would be due to technical problems," he said.

The plane carrying 12 crew and 111 passengers crashed in the public housing area at 11.50 Tuesday, minutes after taking off from the Soewondo Air Base in Medan.

Indonesian television stations carried footage of the republic's President Joko Widodo ordering all the Air Force's Hercules C-130 planes to be checked thoroughly to ensure they were airworthy.

He said for now the priority was the search and rescue operations.