Indonesian military transport plane crashes in city of Medan

JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian military transport plane crashed in the northern Sumatra city of Medan on Tuesday, a military spokesman said, and media said it hit a hotel and houses in a built-up area. Local television showed a neighbourhood in flames after the C-130 Hercules crashed. Metro TV reported there may have been 13 people on board, but there was no immediate confirmation. "We don't know yet the number of people on board or how many casualties have been caused," said military spokesman Fuad Basya, adding that the military was investigating. Sandy Pakpahan, a doctor at a Medan hospital, told Reuters only patient with light injuries had so far been received. The plane was on its way from an air force base in Medan to the remote Natuna islands and crashed a few minutes after takeoff, Basya said. Media said the pilot had asked to return because of technical problems. (Reporting by Nilufar Rizki, Kanupriya Kapoor, Aubrey Belford; Editing by John Chalmers and Nick Macfie)