January 2, 2007 in Nation/World

Indonesian plane crash kills 90

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JAKARTA, Indonesia – Rescuers found the smoldering wreckage today of an Indonesian jetliner that went missing during a storm, and officials said 90 people were killed but 12 survived in the country’s second disaster in days.

Monday’s crash followed on the heels of the sinking of a passenger ferry late Friday in Indonesia’s Java Sea that left 400 people dead or missing.

The Boeing 737 operated by Adam Air crashed in a mountainous region of Sulawesi island in the northeast of the sprawling archipelagic nation, said police Chief Col. Genot Hariyanto.

“The plane is destroyed and many bodies are around there,” he said.

Adam Air spokesman Hartonom, who goes by just one name, said 90 people were killed and that there were 12 survivors. The U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said three Americans were aboard, but there was no word on whether they survived or on their identities.

The plane was on a domestic flight from Java island to Sulawesi when it disappeared late Monday about an hour before it was due to land amid very bad weather. The captain sent out two distress signals, national aviation chief Ichsan Tatang said late Monday.

Hundreds of people gathered at the airport in Manado seeking information about relatives.

The 17-year-old plane carried six crew and 96 passengers, including 11 children. According to the airline, three of those on board were foreign citizens.

Weeks of seasonal rains and high winds in Indonesia have caused several deadly floods, landslides and maritime accidents, including the sinking of the ferry.

The passenger ship capsized about 650 miles from the area where the Adam Air plane disappeared, and naval ships and helicopters continued today to scour the choppy tropical waters for ferry survivors.

Loved ones also gathered in the Central Java port town of Rembang, awaiting word about the ferry, many losing hope as bloated bodies continued to wash to shore.

Search and rescue operations were continuing, with nearly 200 survivors found, but a temporary morgue also was being set up at a port close to where the Senopati Nusantara went down.

Hundreds of body bags were being readied.

“I am tired of crying,” said Sipan, who goes by only one name, as he waited at the local hospital for news of his son. “Dead or alive, I will accept his destiny. It is up to God. All I can do is keep waiting.”

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