149 killed in Indonesia crash

The plane was carrying 112 passengers and five crew on a flight to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

‘‘The plane actually had taken off, but somehow it started to shake heavily and swerved to the left and then wham, a ball of fire came from the front of the plane toward the end,’’ survivor Rohadi Sitepu told Metro 6Television from his hospital bed. ‘‘From our side of the plane there were maybe 10 people who survived and although they suffered some injuries, thank God they managed to escape.’’

Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told a news conference in Medan the number of passengers and crew killed totalled 102, although he gave no breakdown. Officials earlier said 104 people on board had died. Mandala director Asril Tanjung said the cause of the crash was being investigated, but ruled out foul play.

The plane slammed into the heart of the residential area in Medan, breaking apart, setting fire to homes, cars and motorbikes. It triggered panic as survivors on the ground frantically screamed the names of missing relatives and friends.

Many of the dead were taken to Medan’s Adam Malik hospital and laid out on plastic sheets under a tent in the grounds as rain poured down. Relatives walked gingerly around the bodies, trying to identify their loved ones although most were burned beyond recognition.

One woman wailed uncontrollably. A neighbour said she was looking for her 5-year-old daughter who had been walking to school along the road where the plane came down. Another woman crying hysterically found her sister after recognising her bangle and ring.

Among the survivors was a 17-month-old girl and her mother. Neither had life-threatening injuries, doctors said. Those killed included the North Sumatra Governor and his Predecessor, who were both on board.

Fierce flames licked at the wreckage as it lay on one of Medan’s main roads before fire crews managed to extinguish them. Plumes of thick black smoke rose into the air. Officials said some 20 homes were damaged by fire.

Medan, 1,425 km northwest of Jakarta, is the main gateway for aid into tsunami-hit Aceh province. It also one of Indonesia’s busiest airports.

Mandala’s Tanjung said the airliner in Monday’s accident had been built in 1981 and was fit for eight more years of flying. It was not raining when the plane came down some 500 metres from the runway, witnesses said.

‘‘Temporarily, we are saying the cause is from take-off failure but we don’t know yet whether it was from engine trouble, human error or weather,’’ Tanjung said.

After nightfall, police and soldiers were still combing through the wreckage in the search for body parts. Cars and buses set alight by the plane as it hit the road lay in twisted tangles of burned metal. The airport remained open and incoming and outgoing flights roared overhead. —Reuters