Indonesia rescuers inspect the Lion Air Boeing 737 before removing its fixtures as it lies partially submerged in the water three days after it crashed while trying to land at Bali's International Airport near Denpasar, yesterday.
Denpasar: An Indonesian salvage team yesterday used a crane to haul seats and baggage out of a plane that crashed in Bali, as investigators probe what caused the jet to go down.
The Lion Air plane missed the runway as it came in to land on Saturday, slamming into the sea and splitting in two. Dozens of the 108 people on board were injured, but there were no fatalities.
Terrified passengers swam to shore or were plucked to safety by police in rubber dinghies. Witnesses and experts have suggested the crash could have been caused by a freak storm, although no official reason has yet been given.
The salvage team hauled the seats and baggage out of the Boeing 737-800, and were aiming to begin cutting the fuselage of the plane into pieces later in the evening, Bali army commander Colonel Anton Nugroho said.
However, local navy commander Lieutenant Colonel Edi Eka Susanto said the operation had to be carried out very carefully, as the plane “is not yet stable, and we fear there are still oxygen bottles inside that could explode”.
After the plane was cut up, the team planned to lift the parts by crane onto a truck, and from there they would be taken to a nearby beach, said Nugroho.
If that was not possible, then the parts would be pushed through the water using balloons to an area of coast where it was easier to lift them, he said.
AFP
