Indonesian passenger plane crashes in mountains

January 5, 2007

On the 2nd of January, relatives waiting for news about the Adam Air jetliner broke down in tears after learning that senior Indonesian officials erroneously reported the Boeing 737's charred wreckage had been found and that a dozen people may have survived.

A Boeing 737-400 flying for low-cost carrier Adam Air has crashed into the mountains of Indonesia's Sulawesi missing during its flight from Surabaya, Java to Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia amid bad weather. The plane serving as flight number KI-574 was carrying 96 passengers and a crew of 6.

The domestic flight disappeared and vanished off late Monday about an hour before the intended landing time. The captain managed to send out two distress signals, but contact was then lost. Before the ill-fated planed vanished from radar, Singapore's satellite had picked up a distress signal from the plane.

According to airline spokesman Hartono, there are now plans to evacuate the survivors to Makassar. "The plane is in ruins," said First Air Marshal Eddy Suyanto. "The plane was found around 20 kilometers from Polewali, in the mountains." Later, the statement was rebutted by Marshall Eddy Suyanto himself and the Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa.This statement was an erroneously reported. Government had apologized to the public for this statement. This have been made an anguish to the relatives and family members.

Six days after plane crashed, wreckage of the ill-fated plane has still not been found. Indonesia has widened the hunt around Sulawesi Island. Indonesian rescuer was assisted by US satellite and Singapore Air Force.