Three injured in Merpati plane slide

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Three people were badly injured when a Fokker-28 of Merpati Nusantara Airlines with 78 people aboard slid into a ditch after landing Wednesday night.

The Jakarta-outbound plane was broken into three. A wing was crushed and landing gears came loose and scattered around the wreckage.

Security officers tightly guarded the crash site where technicians were seen busy examining the condition of the ill- fated aircraft, bearing flight number MZ-422. The airport was closed on Wednesday night but reopened yesterday.

Bad weather was blamed for the accident but officials sources told The Jakarta Post that an investigation into the accident would begin soon.

The accident happened at 6.45 p.m. when the aircraft landed in heavy rain at the Achmad Yani airport. The aircraft shot out of control upon touching down and plunged into the ditch about 100 meters from the runway.

The shocked passengers left the plane through emergency doors. All but one were allowed to continue their journey. The three injured were rushed to the Tegalrejo hospital, seven kilometers from the airport.

Those injured and admitted to hospital are pilot Aby Widya, 35, co-pilot Antonius Saud Hasibuan, 26, who had a broken leg, and one passenger, Haryono, a public works official from Surakarta.

The ill-fated aircraft has not been moved from the ditch near the runway and technicians were seen busy checking on its condition yesterday.

Directorate general of air transport Zainudin Sikado and several senior Merpati officials inspected the crash site yesterday. (har/pan)