Experts struggle to identify plane crash dead

Yogyakarta, Mar 8: Experts struggled today to identify bodies badly burned when an Indonesian plane overshot a runway and burst into flames as it landed in the cultural capital of Yogyakarta, killing more than 20 people.

Airliner Garuda Indonesia said only nine of the dead had been identified from the yesterday morning accident that has brought the state of Indonesian air travel safety back into the spotlight.

''They are charred beyond recognition. I could not describe it in words,'' said Garuda official Laras Widhyo in Yogyakarta when asked about the rest of the dead.

''Some of (the unaccounted) were our frequent flyers but we could only guess which bodies are them. Forensic teams have been struggling since yesterday to identify them,'' he told Reuters.

The ill-fated flight GA 200 was a Boeing 737-400 plane carrying 133 passengers and seven crew when it crashed after a scheduled flight from Jakarta.

The airline and other sources have been giving slightly different figures on the number of dead, ranging from 20 to 23.

The flight was also carrying some Australian officials and journalists who had been accompanying Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who was not aboard, on a visit to Indonesia.

Five of the group are feared dead and Australian experts are in Yogyakarta to assist the victim identification process.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said one of his country's top burns specialists has flown in to help.

''The Indonesians have indicated that they will be very ready to take that up if it is needed,'' he told Australian television.

No official finding has been announced on the accident's cause, but transport investigators have descended on Yogyakarta and Indonesia's transport minister has said Australians would join that investigation.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has also ordered his chief security minister to probe the accident from ''non-technical'' angles, although Indonesian and Australian officials have been quick to suggest there were no early signs of terrorism or sabotage in the disaster.

Yogyakarta, around 440 km southeast of the capital, Jakarta, is known as the cultural heart of Indonesia and is popular with tourists. Its Adi Sucipto airport is known for its relatively short runway.

''It is true that Yogyakarta (runway) has bumpy parts but this has been allowed by aviation authorities. There has been no significant lead that we are focusing at the moment,'' said Indonesian crash investigator Frans Wenas, adding his team would also review the runway and interview the crew.

Indonesia has suffered a string of transport accidents in recent months, including an Adam Air plane that disappeared in January with 102 passengers and crew on board, and a ferry sinking in late December in which hundreds died.

Reuters

RelatedStories