Boeing 737 Down In Indonesia
A Boeing 737-200 flown by Mandala Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff Monday on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, killing at least 150 people, including 47 on the ground. Fifteen people seated in the rear of the airplane escaped through a hole in the fuselage and survived. “The plane had actually taken off, but it started to shake heavily and swerved to the left, and then — wham, a ball of fire came from the front of the plane toward the back,” survivor Rohadi Sitepu told local TV reporters from his hospital bed. A preliminary report found a problem with one of the engine’s fan blades, the BBC reported yesterday. The aircraft crashed into a crowded neighborhood on the outskirts of the airport in the provincial capital of Medan. Skies at the time of the crash were overcast, and authorities said there was no reason to suspect terrorism.
