Indonesian Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa said 23 people had died in Wednesday's Garuda plane accident in Yogyakarta.
A Garuda Boeing 737-400 with 140 passengers and crew on board burst into flames after landing at the local Adisutjipto airport at about 7:00 AM local time.
Some 92 people were injured in the tragedy, while 27 others were safe and had returned home, but had not yet reported themselves to the airport's command post, according to the airport's spokesman, Ary Subagya.
"The number of passengers was 133 and it had a 7-member crew including five cabin attendants, pilot and co-pilot," the minister said at a press conference in Yogyakarta.
The bodies of the dead victims were now kept at Dr Sardjito hospital for identification by forensic teams from the hospital and the police.
The government had formed a team to investigate the accident in cooperation with an Australian team.
"I have talked with Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer for the setting up of a joint investigation as some Australians and other foreigners were among the victims," he said.
Nearly 20 foreigners were on board Wednesday's flight from the capital Jakarta, a 50-minute hop. Skies were clear as the plane approached just before 7 AM.
An Italian survivor said the plane appeared to be going too fast as it approached the runway.
"The plane landed at a crazy speed. It was going into a dive and I was certain we would crash on the ground," Alessandro Bertellotti, told Italy's state news agency, ANSA. "I was sitting behind the wing... I saw that the pilot was trying to stop it, but it was too fast. It literarily bounced on the strip."
Bertellotti said fire broke out on the seats in front of him, right after the impact.
Nine passengers on board the plane were Australians, most of them diplomatic staff and journalists, heading to Yogyakarta for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's planned meeting with religious leaders following an anti-terrorism conference. Indonesian officials said at least two Australians were among the dead, one a financial reporter.
(Xinhua News Agency,
China Daily via agencies March 8, 2007)
