147 die, 16 survive as Indonesian jetliner crashes

A jetliner crashed Monday in a residential neighbourhood of Indonesia's third biggest city killing 147 people. The toll includes 30 people on the ground. 16 passengers survived.

The Mandala Airlines Boeing 737 crashed seconds after takeoff in the residential area of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province. The jet broke into pieces, setting fire to homes and created mass panic.

"We were gaining height and the landing gear was being retracted" when the crash occurred, said passenger Rohadi Sitepu.

"I was thrown to the ground and escaped through a hole in the fuselage. I ran and ran because I was worried there would be an explosion."

Hundreds of policemen, paramedics and residents tried to evacuate victims from the crash scene. But flames and the thousands of people wanting to visit the crash site hampered efforts.

Conditions at the local hospital were chaotic as patients were brought in. Most were burnt beyond recognition.

The dead included the governor of North Sumatra province, who was heading to the capital for a meeting with the president. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered a probe into the crash.

Mandala Airlines director Asril Tanjung speculated on the cause of the disaster. "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 felt that foul play was highly unlikely.

The plane's flight data recorder, or black box, has been found.

Tanjung said the plane was built in 1981 and was fit for eight more years of flying.

Medan is 1,425 km northwest of Jakarta. It has been a major staging point for tsunami relief operations in Aceh province, on the northern tip of Sumatra island.

The international airport is near the center of Medan and is surrounded by densely populated areas. For years residents have argued that it should be moved.

Mandala Airlines is a Jakarta-based domestic carrier founded in 1969 by a military-run foundation. In recent years, the financially troubled airline has been forced to cut services and fares to remain competitive.

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