Makassar (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Ninety people were killed in a tragic plane crash in Indonesia yesterday that left 12 survivors. The wreckage of the Adam Air Boeing 737-400, which took off from Java Island with 102 people on board, was found in a mountainous region of Sulawesi Island, near Polewali city. Three Americans from the same family were among the 92 passengers. The death toll of the crash was revealed today by a spokesman of the airline company who also said: “Survivors will be evacuated at Makassar (capital of southern Sulawesi province)”. There is no news about the condition of the 12 survivors.

An hour after takeoff from Surabaya, the plane sent out distress signals before disappearing from the radar. The Boeing belonging to an Indonesian budget airline company was headed to Manado, north Sulawesi. Ahmad Muqowam, one of the heads of the parliamentary committee for transport and communications, accused the Transport Department of failing to intervene promptly, “as soon as contact with the plane was lost”.

Official sources said the crash was caused by bad weather that has afflicted the region for days. On the night of 29 December, a ferry sank in a storm off Java and 400 passengers are still missing. At the time of the crash, the plane was flying at a height of 2,600 metres instead of 10,000, as stipulated for the flight route. The plane had been subject to a safety check on 25 December.