Indonesian budget airliner crashes, 90 killed

JAKARTA: A passenger jet belonging to Indonesian carrier Adam Skyconnection Airlines carrying 102 passengers crashed in a mountainous area in West Sulawesi province Monday afternoon, killing 90 on board, according to official sources.

The plane was earlier reported missing and the wreckage was spotted by an emergency search plane in the mountainous region near the Polewali town Tuesday morning. Initial teams of rescue operators which reached the scene found at least 90 bodies at the crash site. Police in Polewali town said there were 12 survivors.

The Boeing 737-400 was flying from Subrabaya in East Java to Manado in North Sulawesi when it lost contact with the air traffic control. Authorities said there were thick clouds and strong winds in the area when the plane lost contact.

Among those on board the ill-fated plane were six crew members and 11 children.

The crash is one of the worst air disasters in Indonesia. In September 2005 a Mandala Airlines jet crashed into a residential district in Medan in North Sumatra province, killing 149 people, which included residents of the area.

Adam Air is a budget airline based in Jakarta and is part-owned by Agung Laksono, the speaker of Indonesia's lower house of parliament. It has a fleet of 19 Boeing 737 planes.

An official of the airline said the airline office had received reports that 12 people had survived the crash. They are said to be in a serious condition and efforts are being made to reach them to nearby hospitals. However, the rescue workers are facing bad weather conditions in the area. Besides, the area can be accessed by only two wheelers and there is no communication facility.

The plane crash has occurred just three days after a ferry sank in the Java Sea with more than 600 people on board. Some 400 people are feared killed in the mishap.

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