|
Download Rescuers discovered bodies on Thursday near the shattered wreckage of a new Russian-made passenger plane that smashed into the steep side of an Indonesian volcano during a flight to impress potential buyers. All 45 people on board were feared dead. Due to the remoteness of the crash site, the bodies will be placed in nets and lifted by ropes to a hovering chopper, national search and rescue agency spokesman Gagah Prakoso said. They will be evacuated to the capital, Jakarta, for identification by family members. "So far we haven't found any survivors, but we are still searching," he said, as more soldiers, police and volunteers hiked through the mist-shrouded slopes toward the wreck. The Sukhoi Superjet-100 - Russia's first new model of passenger jet since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago - was in Indonesia as part of a six-nation tour of Asia aimed at drumming up new customers. It was carrying dozens of representatives from Indonesian airlines and journalists on what was supposed to be a quick, 50-minute demonstration flight on Wednesday. Some excited passengers snapped pictures of themselves smiling and waving in front of the twin-engine jet before liftoff, quickly posting them as their profiles on Facebook and Twitter. Just 21 minutes after taking off from a Jakarta airfield, however, the Russian pilot and co-pilot asked air traffic control for permission to drop from 3,000 meters to 1,800 meters, said Daryatmo, chief of the national search and rescue agency. They gave no explanation, dropping off the radar immediately afterward. | 
