'A miracle': Crash survivors<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
Oloan Harahap expressed his profound thanks to God because he
\nsurvived the Mandala aircraft crash in Medan, North Sumatra, on
\nMonday, which killed some 104 passengers and crew, saying that it
\nwas a miracle that he was still alive.<\/p>\n
He was among the 13 passengers who survived the worst airplane
\ncrash in the country in recent years.<\/p>\n
Lying down and motionless on his bed at the Sarah General
\nHospital, Oloan, who suffered serious injuries to his head and
\nback, said he could not understand why he survived the accident
\nsince all those seated on his right and left were killed.<\/p>\n
\"It's really a miracle. God is giving me another chance to
\nlive,\" he told The Jakarta Post when asked about the accident.<\/p>\n
He said like other passengers, he panicked when it became
\napparent that the aircraft could not take off, before hitting the
\nroof of a house then crashing into a street.<\/p>\n
\"The aircraft's body was divided into two parts and I found
\nmyself thrown outside when I was trying to get my notebook
\ncomputer. This happened just seconds before the aircraft exploded
\nand caught fire,\" said Oloan, a 45-year-old father of three
\nchildren.<\/p>\n
Oloan, a senior employee at the North Sumatra Development
\nPlanning Agency (Bappeda), was accompanying North Sumatra
\nGovernor Tengku Rizal Nurdin and two regional representatives
\nRadja Inal Siregar and Abdul Halim Harahap to Jakarta for
\nofficial meetings, including with President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono. The Governor and legislators were killed.<\/p>\n
Oloan said the notebook computer was too valuable to be left
\nbehind under his seat because it contained information that was
\nto be presented to the President.<\/p>\n
\"But, if I forced myself to reach over and get the notebook
\ncomputer I could have been killed in the explosion,\" he said,
\nsaying he was saved by residents just seconds before the
\nexplosion.<\/p>\n
Rohan Sitepu, a Jakarta resident who also survived the crash,
\nsaid he initially thought he had died, but then found himself in
\nthe middle of the broken plane.<\/p>\n
\"After finding myself alive, I walked away with the help of
\nresidents,\" said Rohan, who suffered only minor injuries to his
\nface.<\/p>\n
Rohan was rushed to Gleneagles Hospital.<\/p>\n
Among the survivors, only Rohan suffered minor injuries. Other
\nsurvivors were waiting for surgery for leg and hand fractures at
\nthe Pirngadi and Adam Malik General Hospitals.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-miracle-crash-survivors-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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