15 Survived Jet Crash in Indonesian City

The death toll in the crash of an Indonesian plane rose to 149 late Monday as authorities said some passengers had survived but dozens of people on the ground had been killed.

Officials initially reported that all 117 people aboard the Mandala Airlines flight had died when the Boeing 737-200 slammed into a residential area of Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, shortly after takeoff.

But as rescue efforts proceeded, authorities said 15 passengers in the tail section, including a toddler, had survived. Forty-seven local residents, however, perished as the crash destroyed many buildings.

The plane was carrying 112 passengers and a crew of five on a flight to the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

“The plane actually had taken off, but somehow it started to shake heavily and swerved to the left and then wham!, a ball of fire came from the front of the plane toward the end,” survivor Rohadi Sitepu told Metro Television from his hospital bed.

“From our side of the plane there were maybe 10 people who survived, and although they suffered some injuries, thank God they managed to escape.”

Mandala director Asril Tanjung said the cause of the crash was being investigated but that foul play was highly unlikely.

The plane crashed on a road in the heart of a residential area, breaking apart, setting fire to homes, cars and motorbikes. Survivors on the ground frantically screamed the names of missing relatives and friends.

Many of the dead were taken to Medan’s Adam Malik hospital and laid out on plastic sheets under a tent as rain poured down. Relatives walked gingerly around the bodies, trying to identify their loved ones, although most of the corpses were burned beyond recognition.

One woman wailed uncontrollably, and a neighbor said she was looking for her 5-year-old daughter who had been walking to school along the road where the plane came down. Another woman, crying hysterically, found her sister by recognizing her bracelet and ring.