At least 117 dead in Indonesia plane crash

Jakarta - An Indonesian passenger jet crashed today shortly after takeoff, killing all 117 people on board and an unknown number of people on the ground.

It crashed into a crowded residential area in the northern city of Medan on the island of Sumatra.

The Mandala Airlines Boeing 737 was heading to Jakarta when it crashed seconds after takeoff and burst into flames, Indonesia's transport minister, Hatta Radjasa, said.

Smoke billowed from the burning debris and dozens of houses and at least 10 cars were on fire or damaged.

The plane was carrying at least 117 passengers and crew, said the airline's acting president, Major-General Hasril Hamzah Tanjung.

Edi Sofyan, a government spokesman in Medan, said all those on board had died and there were an unknown number casualties on the ground. Officials said the dead included the governor of North Sumatra province, who was heading to the capital for a meeting with the president.

Hundreds of policemen, paramedics and residents were trying to evacuate victims but Syahrial Anas, a doctor overseeing the removal of charred bodies, said flames were hampering their efforts.

"We're having a hard time getting to the bodies because of the heat," the doctor said.

There were desperate scenes at the airport in Jakarta, where relatives and friends of those killed have gathered.

Medan, the country's third-largest city, has been a major staging point for tsunami relief operations in Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra island. The international airport is close to the centre of town and is surrounded by densely populated residential areas.

Mandala Airlines is a Jakarta-based domestic carrier founded in 1969 by a military-run foundation. Its 15-plane fleet consists mainly of Boeing 737-200 jets built in the 1970s. In recent years, the financially troubled airline has been forced to cut services and fares to remain competitive.

Maj-Gen Tanjung said an investigation into the cause of the crash was under way.

The plane was nearly 25 years old, he said, and received its last comprehensive service in June. It had flown more than 50,000 hours and was due to be retired in 2016.

Today's crash follows five major airline accidents last month, the deadliest month for plane disasters since May 2002. Some 334 people died in accidents in Peru, Venezuela, Greece and Tunisia last month. A plane also overshot a runway in Toronto and caught fire; no one died.

Indonesia's last crash involving a jetliner occurred in February 2005, when 26 people were killed when a plane operated by Lion Air, a low-cost carrier, skidded off the runway on Java Island.

The country's worst crash was in September 1997, when a Garuda Airbus smashed into mountains near Medan, killing all 232 people on board. -- Associated Press

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