The death toll of Indonesia's Air force Hercules plane crash in East Java reached 71, with 27 others wounded, the health ministry said on Wednesday.

Health official reported that there were 15 fatalities in Sudono Hospital with nine people injured, and there were 57 deaths at Iswahyudi Hospital, with 19 people injured, head of crisis center of the Ministry Rustam Pakaya said.

However the identification and checking on the victims was being conducting, he said.

"It must be avoided two pieces of one body to be counted into two persons," he told Xinhua.

The final result would be announced later after the officials completed their works, said Pakaya.

The Hercules was reported to have ploughed into homes on the ground as it crashed and caught fire in Magetan. The plane C-130 Hercules Alpha 1325 was on its way from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta for Biak in Papua when it crashed only fours kilometer from Iswahyudi Airport.

A metro television footage showed the body of the plane was broken into two parts and burnt into flames.

Editor: Yan