A passenger plane from Indonesia's state airline
Garuda crashed and exploded when it was landing in the central Indonesian
city of Yogyakarta on Wednesday, Antara news agency reported. (Reuters
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JAKARTA,
March 7 (Xinhua) -- 49 people were killed and 44 others injured after a
passenger plane was burned when landing in Indonesia's Yogyaklarta province,
provincial government said on Wednesday.
"The latest data of the death is 49 people, some of
them Australian and Japanese," the government spokesman named only Robiyanto
told Xinhua by phone from the province.
Provincial police spokesman Budi Santoso said that
six of the passengers were foreign citizens, but he did not give further detail.
He said that the plane landed too far from it
supposed to be and skid off the runway.
"Twice explosions were heard immediately after the
plane landed and the axis of the tyre was broken," he told Xinhua.
He confirmed that the total victims were 93,
including the fatalities. All of those injured were admitted to hospitals in the
cities of Yogyakarta, he added.
The plane was on route from Jakarta to Yogyakarta
city, he said.
Indonesian Chairman of the second biggest Muslim
organization Din Syamsuddin was among the survivors, said Santoso.
The spokesman predicted that one of the possible
causes of the accident was the higher pressure of air from above of the plane
while it was landing.
The Boeing 737-400 belonging to flag carrier Garuda
Indonesia carried 133 passengers and 7 cabin crews when the accident occurred at
the Adi Sucipto Airport, said Santoso.
Indonesia has been frequently experienced airline
accidents. Recently a budget airliner Adam Air with more than 100 people on
board lost in the eastern waters of the country.
Indonesian has declared to evaluate its aviation
system to prevent further possibility of accident.
JAKARTA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- About 76 passengers of Garuda
Indonesia's ill-fated plane had been evacuated and they were admitted to Harjo
Lukito Hospital, Yogyakarta, Metro TV station quoted Minister of Transportation
Hatta Radjasa as saying Wednesday.
The fate of the remaining 57 passengers was unknown, the
TV station said.
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