22 hurt as Merpati skids off runway

Twenty-two people were injured as a Merpati plane skidded off the runway upon landing at the Makassar airport, South Sulawesi, on Thursday amid heavy rain and strong wind, officials said.

At least 10 of the injured passengers were hospitalized, while the accident at around 7:15 p.m. forced the airport to close as the runway was obstructed by the plane's broken wheel. Merpati general manager at the local office Zainuddin blamed the crash on bad weather. "It was caused by heavy rain and strong wind at the airport," he added. He said the passengers were injured because they panicked while being evacuated. The ill-fated 749 plane was making a scheduled stopover in Makassar, carrying at least 55 passengers from the town of Biak in Papua to Surabaya, East Java. --JP