All killed in Russian plane crash in Indonesia
INDONESIA: All of the dozens aboard a Russian Sukhoi passenger
jet flying on a sales promotion trip in Indonesia were killed when the
plane slammed into a mountain, officials said on Thursday.
Rescuers who reached the remote site found bodies scattered near the
wreckage of Russia's first post-Soviet civilian plane on the sheer face
of Mount Salak, outside the city of Bogor, south of Jakarta, officials
said. "We entered the area... and found the dead bodies, but we cannot
say about the number," said Gagah Prakoso, spokesman for the national
search and rescue agency.
"We haven't found any survivors," he said. The twin-engine Superjet
100 vanished from radar screens on Wednesday, 50 minutes into what was
meant to be a short flight to show off its capabilities to prospective
buyers as Russia tries to rebuild its civilian jet industry.
Reports of the number on board varied, with local rescue officials
saying the plane was carrying 46 people and Trimarga Rekatama, the
company responsible for inviting the passengers, saying 50 were on
board. Those aboard were mostly Indonesian aviation representatives, but
also included eight Russians -- four of them crew and four Sukhoi
employees -- plus an American and a Frenchman, officials said.
They said a helicopter pilot spotted the plane's debris after
rescuers resumed their operation at first light on Thursday, locating
one part with the Sukhoi logo on the sheer face of Mount Salak, a
dormant volcano. AFP |