No survivors found in SilkAir crash

JAKARTA (JP): Rescue workers, including divers, struggled through the murky and muddy waters of Musi River yesterday searching for survivors of the SilkAir Boeing 737-300 which went down at the estuary of the South Sumatran river on Friday.

By late afternoon, they found none, Antara reported.

Officials in Indonesia and Singapore meanwhile were mystified as to the cause of the crash, given that the plane was only 10 months old, the weather in the area was fine and the plane was flown by an experienced pilot.

Flight MI-185, with 104 people on board, was on its way from Jakarta to Singapore when it crashed Friday afternoon.

There were no distress signals before the plane vanished from radar screens, officials in Jakarta and Singapore said.

The SilkAir office in Jakarta released the names of passengers and crew members yesterday morning, after their relatives had been informed.

The 97 passengers included 23 Indonesians, 40 Singaporeans, 10 Malaysians, five Americans, five French, four Germans, three Britons, two Japanese, one Australian, one Austrian, one Bosnian, one Indian and one Taiwanese. The seven crew members included six Singaporeans and a New Zealander.

By last night, Indonesian and SilkAir officials refused to declare the status of the passengers, saying that all efforts were still being made to determine their fate.

Search and rescue efforts concentrated in Makarti Jaya, a village in the Sungsang district in Musi Banyuasin regency. The area is only accessible by boat on the Musi River.

By afternoon, the joint Indonesia-Singapore search team had located the plane's wreckage and some body parts, Antara said.

TVRI quoted rescue workers as saying that most of the passengers were believed to be trapped in the fuselage, and access proved difficult because the doors were all locked.

Reports from Singapore said a wingtip and rudder were the only identifiable plane parts collected from the river.

Navy Capt. Robby S.N., who led the team, said the nose of the Boeing 737-300 went down into the river bed, while the rear part had been completely destroyed.

The swampy area made the task of finding bodies difficult, he told the news agency.

The strong current at the estuary had also washed up some of the passengers' belongings. Among those found were life jackets, passports and other documents.

"Efforts are being made to rake the bottom of the river with nets since we can do very little from the surface," Second Sgt. Erizal, who headed the Indonesian divers team, told AFP.

Indonesia sent five ships for the operation while Singapore dispatched two ships, two C-130 transport planes, a Fokker 50 plane and two Super Puma helicopters. A crane was being brought by tugboat down the Musi from Palembang, 60 km to the south.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, who flew to Palembang on Friday night, inspected the operation. He was accompanied by Director General for Air Transportation Zainuddin Sikado and Sriwijaya Military Command Chief Maj. Gen. Suadi Atma.

Prof. Oetarjo Diran, who headed the investigation of the Garuda Indonesia plane crash in Medan, North Sumatra, in September, was also at the site yesterday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said seven officials from Boeing, the U.S. Federal Aviation Authority, the U.S. National Transport and Safety Board, and engine manufacturer General Electric were due in Palembang today.

Relatives

The SilkAir office in Jakarta flew some 40 grieving relatives of the passengers yesterday on a Garuda Indonesia flight to Palembang. They had waited all night since news of the plane crash was reported on local television stations. Three planes carrying about 300 relatives of other passengers had also left Changi Airport in Singapore.

"They will all be placed at hotels (in Palembang) and will be kept informed of developments," Gopi Bala, SilkAir's manager in Indonesia, said.

Clues to the cause of the crash so far had only come from villagers in Makarti Jaya, a fishing hamlet. Some of them claimed they had seen the plane explode and crash.

Police said villagers told them that they had heard three explosions: one in the air, another as the plane fell and a third on impact.

"I saw smoke coming from the plane, which was missing a wing and tilting before it crashed," fisherman Sani told AFP.

A 60-year-old man, Damsyik, said he was repairing the roof of his home when he saw the plane spinning down. "I heard a bang when the plane crashed into the water," he told Reuters.

Singaporean Communications Minister Mah Bow Tan promised a thorough investigation with the Indonesian authorities. "It had an experienced crew. As far as we know, there was no adverse weather, no adverse terrain. It is obviously very puzzling, the cause of the accident," he said.

Asked at a news conference whether sabotage or terrorism was possible, Mah said it was "premature to speculate".

SilkAir, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines Ltd., said the pilot, Capt. Tsu Way Ming, 41, had 6,900 hours of flying experience. He joined SilkAir in March 1992 as first officer, and was appointed commander in January 1996.

Seattle-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing said the Boeing 737 fleet was the largest worldwide, with 3,000 jets in service. The fleet carries 1.1 million passengers a day.

A Boeing spokeswoman said on Friday that the company "doesn't speculate on the cause of these incidents".

Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong offered his "deepest sympathies" to the relatives of the victims.

"We feared the worst but hoped for the best," Goh said in a statement. "I am greatly distressed that our fears have been confirmed. The aircraft crashed. I am told that no survivors have been found so far," he said.

"I offer my deepest sympathies to the affected families. This is a difficult time for them and I wish them strength and fortitude during this period," Goh added.

"The Singapore government has joined Indonesian authorities in mounting a full search and rescue operation. We are grateful to the Indonesian authorities for their prompt response and continuing efforts," Goh said.

The United States Embassy in Singapore also extended condolences to the families of the victims.

"I extend our profound condolences to the families of the Americans, Singaporeans and citizens of other countries who disappeared in last night's tragic plane crash near Palembang in Indonesia," U.S. Ambassador Timothy Chorba said in a statement.

Among the Americans was Suzan Picariello, area general manager for American Express in Southeast and South Asia.

"The accident involves dynamic and successful members of both the American and Singaporean communities. It has a deep impact on us all," Chorba said. (team)

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