Plane recovery remains elusive<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Solo<\/p>\n
Strong currents and heavy rain continue to hamper efforts to
\nrecover the cockpit voice recorder of a Garuda Boeing 737 that
\ncrash-landed into Bengawan Solo River, Central Java in bad
\nweather, officials said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Due to heavy rain, 10 teams of investigators and a search and
\nrescue team could not do much on Friday. A strong current has
\ndragged the plane about 25 meters from its previous location.<\/p>\n
Structures erected along both sides of the plane were swept
\naway by floodwater, a local journalist said from the crash site.<\/p>\n
Garuda Indonesia Airlines' Yogyakarta general manager,
\nSinggih, said in Bengawan Solo on Friday that the teams were
\nwaiting for divers from the marines to arrive and recover the
\ncockpit voice recorder, located on the belly of the plane, which
\nis still under water.<\/p>\n
"They (the divers) were supposed to be here at 2 p.m. (Friday)
\nbut up until this afternoon there is no sign of them. We'd like
\nto coordinate the search and recover the cockpit voice recorder
\nsoon," Singgih said.<\/p>\n
Onlookers, however, braved heavy rain to stand along the side
\nof the river to watch events unfold around the plane. Local
\nresidents have begun to operate mini rail cars along the
\nDelanggu-Jumiring railway line for people wanting to see the
\nBoeing.<\/p>\n
"It's like a carnival here," the local journalist said.<\/p>\n
Flight GA-421 with 60 people aboard had a miraculous escape
\nwhen the plane came down in Bengawan Solo River in Klaten regency
\nof Central Java on Wednesday. Only one person, flight attendant
\nSanti Anggraeni, was killed in the incident.<\/p>\n
The plane, which took off from Lombok island, was headed for
\nYogyakarta with 54 passengers and six crew members when it made
\nan emergency landing 30 kilometers northeast of its destination.<\/p>\n
Oetardjo Diran, a member of a joint team of experts from the
\nstate National Commission on Transportation Accidents and Garuda
\nIndonesia, said efforts to salvage the voice recorder were "still
\nrisky".<\/p>\n
Officials have not as yet determined why the plane crashed,
\nbut preliminary investigation indicates that engine failure may
\nhave been the cause.<\/p>\n
The officials, however, refuse to say when the plane will be
\nremoved from the river. "You know the size of a Boeing plane,
\nit's not easy to remove it from a river."<\/p>\n
Garuda Indonesia announced on Thursday that it would
\ncompensate each of the passengers with Rp 50 million and pay for
\nall accommodation, hospital treatment and transportation.<\/p>\n
It was the second accident in two days involving an
\nIndonesian-operated Boeing 737. On Monday, several people were
\nslightly injured when a 737 operated by Lion Airlines crash-
\nlanded immediately after takeoff from Pekanbaru on Sumatra
\nisland.<\/p>\n
Two hundred and thirty-four people were killed in September
\n1997 when a Garuda plane crashed in a village near Medan in North
\nSumatra due to poor visibility resulting from thick smoke from
\nforest fires.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/plane-recovery-remains-elusive-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}