Section of Japanese airliner falls onto Jakarta slum

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Section of Japanese airliner falls onto Jakarta slum

Source: AP|Published: Thursday September 7, 3:21 PM

JAKARTA: A piece of an engine from a Japan Airlines jetliner fell onto a Jakarta slum shortly after it took off with 377 passengers and crew aboard, an airline official said today.

No one was hurt in yesterday's incident, but 16 houses were damaged.

The airline's Jakarta manager, Hideki Moriyama, said the piece fell off when an engine exploded.

Tokyo-bound JAL Flight 726 returned safely to Sukarno-Hatta International Airport an hour after it had taken off, he said.

The Jakarta Post newspaper quoted residents living on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital as saying they heard a 'thundering sound' as the plane flew low overhead before a large piece of burning metal fell out of the sky.

When the incident was first reported yesterday, Moriyama had said the Boeing 747-300 had experienced only minor engine trouble.

Today he confirmed that an explosion had taken place but said it was not clear what had caused it.

Airline officials were cooperating with an Indonesian police investigation, he said.

After the incident, the passengers were transferred to an hotel before being flown out on another plane late last night.

http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0009/07/A52017-2000Sep7.shtml

-- Doris (reaper1@mindspring.com), September 07, 2000


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