Rescue workers in Indonesia are battling to save the passengers and crew of an aircraft that burst into flames on landing in Yogyakarta, Java.
An Indonesian jet with 140 people on board has crashed and burst into flames on landing at Yogyakarta in Java.
The Boeing 737-400 owned by state airline Garuda was carrying 140 people.
At least 21 bodies have been recovered from the plane, and some reports put the death toll as high as 49. Ninety-five people survived.
There are at least 95 confirmed survivors. The bodies of 21 people have been recovered and another 24 people remain unaccounted for, officials say.
Indonesia's president immediately announced an investigation into the crash of the Garuda Boeing 737-400.
The incident occurred as the plane arrived in Yogyakarta from the capital, Jakarta, about 0700 (0000 GMT).
The crash in Yogyakarta, 440km (270 miles) south-east of Jakarta, happened at about 0700 (0000 GMT).
Survivors say large numbers of passengers escaped through the emergency doors before the plane burst into flames. It had reportedly shaken violently before landing.
'Too fast'
One woman described how she could smell smoke from the fuselage and helped a friend out on to the airstrip before hearing a large explosion behind her.
Survivors say a large number of passengers escaped through emergency doors before the plane burst into flames.
Some survivors are being treated in hospital for severe injuries or burns.
The jet reportedly started shaken violently before landing.
Engulfed by flames
Some passengers wanted to get their hand luggage. I cried to them, 'get out, get out' Din Syamsudin, survivor
Emergency teams are still trying to recover victims' bodies but have been slowed by fire recurring in the fuselage.
The state airline is providing flights to take victims' families to the scene.
Among those whose fate is still uncertain are several Australian passengers - government officials and journalists on their way to a meeting with the Australian foreign minister who is visiting Indonesia this week.
Prime Minister John Howard said up to 10 Australians were aboard, "and not all of those have been accounted for".
The operations chief at Yogyakarta airport said the front wheel of the plane was on fire as it landed, causing it to veer off the runway and hit a boundary fence.
The operations chief at Yogyakarta airport said the front wheel of the plane was on fire as it landed, causing it to veer off the runway and hit a boundary fence.
He said an engine had then broken away from the plane and the fuselage burst into flames. The aircraft came to rest in the middle of a rice field.
He said an engine had then broken away from the plane and the fuselage burst into flames. The aircraft came to rest in the middle of a rice field.
The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says the incident comes at a time when Indonesia's poor transport safety record is under the spotlight following a recent string of disasters.
First Air Marshal Benyamin Dandel, air force commander at Yogyakarta, said: "The plane was too fast or over-speeding, so it ran about 300 metres off the runway."
Some survivors said the fire started near the front the plane and spread quickly down the fuselage.
One survivor, Din Syamsudin, who is the chairman of Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organisation, Muhammadiyah, told Reuters: "Some passengers wanted to get their hand luggage. I cried to them, 'get out, get out'.
"The plane was full of smoke. I just jumped from two metres and landed in a rice field."
A number of survivors are being treated in hospital for severe injuries or burns.
The blaze took two hours to put out and gutted the jet.
Conference
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said there were nine Australians on board, four of whom were missing.
They included officials and journalists covering his planned visit to Java for a counter-terrorism conference.
Prime Minister John Howard said the country should be "prepared for bad news" as there could well be Australian fatalities.
But he said he had not received any information suggesting either sabotage or terrorism.
A spokesman for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the Indonesian president was launching an investigation to examine all possible causes, including technical failure, human error and sabotage.
There have been a number of terrorist attacks in Indonesia in recent years, many of them targeting Westerners.
The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says the incident also comes at a time when Indonesia's poor transport safety record is under the spotlight following a recent string of disasters.
In January an Adam Air plane, also a Boeing 737-400, disappeared with 102 passengers and crew on board, and in December hundreds died when a ferry sank in the Java Sea.
In January an Adam Air plane, also a Boeing 737-400, disappeared with 102 passengers and crew on board, and in December hundreds died when a ferry sank in the Java Sea.
Are you in Yogyakarta? Did have friends or relatives who were on the plane? Email us with your account below.
Are you in Yogyakarta? Did have friends or relatives who were on the plane? Email us with your account below.
