Passengers relive 'terrifying' plane crash
SURVIVORS relived the terrifying moments a packed passenger jet began to break up after crash landing in the sea yesterday.
Miraculously, all 101 passengers and seven crew were pulled to safety as the Boeing 737 bobbed perilously with its fuselage gaping open and waves pounding its stricken wings.
Rescue boats raced to the Lion Air flight within minutes of it trying to touch down on the popular Indonesian holiday island of Bali before over-shooting the runway and crashing 150ft into the water.
There was no sign at all it would fall but then suddenly it dropped into the water
Many of the passengers plunged into the sea while others balanced on the wings or took to life rafts. Although 22 people needed hospital treatment for minor injuries, major casualties were averted because the aircraft remained buoyant.
One survivor, Tantri Widiastuti, 60, said: “There was no sign at all it would fall but then suddenly it dropped into the water. I saw holes in the floor of the plane.”
Investigators say the cause of the crash is unclear but the Indonesian authorities, already concerned by the country’s air safety record, have ordered an inquiry.