Airplane crash kills 141 in Indonesia
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-05 12:36

An Indonesian jetliner crashed into a crowded residential neighborhood in the city of Medan shortly after takeoff Monday, killing 141 people, some of them on the ground. Six passengers survived, officials said, AP reported.

The Mandala Airlines Boeing 737 was heading to Jakarta when it crashed seconds after takeoff, bursting into flames and sending thick clouds of black smoke high into the air.

Residents and security officers gather near the wreckage of a jetliner which crashed in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 5, 2005. [AP]

Firefighters struggled to put out the blaze, which engulfed dozens of houses and at least 10 cars, but were assisted by a midmorning rain shower.

The plane was carrying 117 passengers and crew, but "only six people survived," said Alex Widjojo, a spokesman for the airline, contradicting earlier reports that all aboard had been killed.

Zainul Tahar, who is coordinating the search and rescue efforts, said 30 residents on the ground were killed when the plane crashed. Several others were injured, hospitals in the city said.

Officials said one of the dead included the governor of North Sumatra province, who was heading to the capital for a meeting with the president.

The Boeing 737 operated by Mandala Airlines was heading to Jakarta when it crashed one minute after takeoff, Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said.

Firemen spray water toward the wreckage of an Indonesian Boeing 737-200 operated by Mandala Airlines which crashed just after takeoff from Medan city, on Indonesia's Sumatra island in this September 5, 2005 image taken from television footage. [Reuters]

The plane was carrying at least 117 passengers and crew, said the airline's acting president, Maj. Gen. Hasril Hamzah Tanjung. He said it was too early to release casualty figures.

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