No survivors found in SilkAir crash<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Rescue workers, including divers, struggled
\nthrough the murky and muddy waters of Musi River yesterday
\nsearching for survivors of the SilkAir Boeing 737-300 which went
\ndown at the estuary of the South Sumatran river on Friday.<\/p>\n
By late afternoon, they found none, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
Officials in Indonesia and Singapore meanwhile were mystified
\nas to the cause of the crash, given that the plane was only 10
\nmonths old, the weather in the area was fine and the plane was
\nflown by an experienced pilot.<\/p>\n
Flight MI-185, with 104 people on board, was on its way from
\nJakarta to Singapore when it crashed Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
There were no distress signals before the plane vanished from
\nradar screens, officials in Jakarta and Singapore said.<\/p>\n
The SilkAir office in Jakarta released the names of passengers
\nand crew members yesterday morning, after their relatives had
\nbeen informed.<\/p>\n
The 97 passengers included 23 Indonesians, 40 Singaporeans, 10
\nMalaysians, five Americans, five French, four Germans, three
\nBritons, two Japanese, one Australian, one Austrian, one Bosnian,
\none Indian and one Taiwanese. The seven crew members included six
\nSingaporeans and a New Zealander.<\/p>\n
By last night, Indonesian and SilkAir officials refused to
\ndeclare the status of the passengers, saying that all efforts
\nwere still being made to determine their fate.<\/p>\n
Search and rescue efforts concentrated in Makarti Jaya, a
\nvillage in the Sungsang district in Musi Banyuasin regency. The
\narea is only accessible by boat on the Musi River.<\/p>\n
By afternoon, the joint Indonesia-Singapore search team had
\nlocated the plane's wreckage and some body parts, Antara said.<\/p>\n
TVRI quoted rescue workers as saying that most of the
\npassengers were believed to be trapped in the fuselage, and
\naccess proved difficult because the doors were all locked.<\/p>\n
Reports from Singapore said a wingtip and rudder were the only
\nidentifiable plane parts collected from the river.<\/p>\n
Navy Capt. Robby S.N., who led the team, said the nose of the
\nBoeing 737-300 went down into the river bed, while the rear part
\nhad been completely destroyed.<\/p>\n
The swampy area made the task of finding bodies difficult, he
\ntold the news agency.<\/p>\n
The strong current at the estuary had also washed up some of
\nthe passengers' belongings. Among those found were life jackets,
\npassports and other documents.<\/p>\n
"Efforts are being made to rake the bottom of the river with
\nnets since we can do very little from the surface," Second Sgt.
\nErizal, who headed the Indonesian divers team, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Indonesia sent five ships for the operation while Singapore
\ndispatched two ships, two C-130 transport planes, a Fokker 50
\nplane and two Super Puma helicopters. A crane was being brought
\nby tugboat down the Musi from Palembang, 60 km to the south.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, who flew to
\nPalembang on Friday night, inspected the operation. He was
\naccompanied by Director General for Air Transportation Zainuddin
\nSikado and Sriwijaya Military Command Chief Maj. Gen. Suadi Atma.<\/p>\n
Prof. Oetarjo Diran, who headed the investigation of the
\nGaruda Indonesia plane crash in Medan, North Sumatra, in
\nSeptember, was also at the site yesterday.<\/p>\n
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said seven officials
\nfrom Boeing, the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority, the U.S.
\nNational Transport and Safety Board, and engine manufacturer
\nGeneral Electric were due in Palembang today.<\/p>\n
Relatives<\/p>\n
The SilkAir office in Jakarta flew some 40 grieving relatives
\nof the passengers yesterday on a Garuda Indonesia flight to
\nPalembang. They had waited all night since news of the plane
\ncrash was reported on local television stations. Three planes
\ncarrying about 300 relatives of other passengers had also left
\nChangi Airport in Singapore.<\/p>\n
"They will all be placed at hotels (in Palembang) and will be
\nkept informed of developments," Gopi Bala, SilkAir's manager in
\nIndonesia, said.<\/p>\n
Clues to the cause of the crash so far had only come from
\nvillagers in Makarti Jaya, a fishing hamlet. Some of them claimed
\nthey had seen the plane explode and crash.<\/p>\n
Police said villagers told them that they had heard three
\nexplosions: one in the air, another as the plane fell and a third
\non impact.<\/p>\n
"I saw smoke coming from the plane, which was missing a wing
\nand tilting before it crashed," fisherman Sani told AFP.<\/p>\n
A 60-year-old man, Damsyik, said he was repairing the roof of
\nhis home when he saw the plane spinning down. "I heard a bang
\nwhen the plane crashed into the water," he told Reuters.<\/p>\n
Singaporean Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan promised a
\nthorough investigation with the Indonesian authorities. "It had
\nan experienced crew. As far as we know, there was no adverse
\nweather, no adverse terrain. It is obviously very puzzling, the
\ncause of the accident," he said.<\/p>\n
Asked at a news conference whether sabotage or terrorism was
\npossible, Mah said it was "premature to speculate".<\/p>\n
SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Ltd., said the
\npilot, Capt. Tsu Way Ming, 41, had 6,900 hours of flying
\nexperience. He joined SilkAir in March 1992 as first officer, and
\nwas appointed commander in January 1996.<\/p>\n
Seattle-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing said the Boeing 737
\nfleet was the largest worldwide, with 3,000 jets in service. The
\nfleet carries 1.1 million passengers a day.<\/p>\n
A Boeing spokeswoman said on Friday that the company "doesn't
\nspeculate on the cause of these incidents".<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong offered his "deepest sympathies"
\nto the relatives of the victims.<\/p>\n
"We feared the worst but hoped for the best," Goh said in a
\nstatement. "I am greatly distressed that our fears have been
\nconfirmed. The aircraft crashed. I am told that no survivors have
\nbeen found so far," he said.<\/p>\n
"I offer my deepest sympathies to the affected families. This
\nis a difficult time for them and I wish them strength and
\nfortitude during this period," Goh added.<\/p>\n
"The Singapore government has joined Indonesian authorities in
\nmounting a full search and rescue operation. We are grateful to
\nthe Indonesian authorities for their prompt response and
\ncontinuing efforts," Goh said.<\/p>\n
The United States Embassy in Singapore also extended
\ncondolences to the families of the victims.<\/p>\n
"I extend our profound condolences to the families of the
\nAmericans, Singaporeans and citizens of other countries who
\ndisappeared in last night's tragic plane crash near Palembang in
\nIndonesia," U.S. Ambassador Timothy Chorba said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Among the Americans was Suzan Picariello, area general manager
\nfor American Express in Southeast and South Asia.<\/p>\n
"The accident involves dynamic and successful members of both
\nthe American and Singaporean communities. It has a deep impact on
\nus all," Chorba said. (team)<\/p>\n
Names -- Page 2<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/no-survivors-found-in-silkair-crash-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }