Finally, I’ve received the link to the video of the accident.
This is what you’ll see after the video ends…
Amateur video footage from a passenger who escaped
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200703/r130073_429316.asx
But what is the real story behind how it happened?
Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un…
Gadjah Mada University mourns to the loss of
Former Rector of Gadjah Mada University
Prof. Dr. Koesnadi Hardja Sumantri, S.H. LLM
Dikebumikan pagi ini di Makam Keluarga Besar UGM Sawitsari.
Victim of the GA-200 plane crash yesterday morning (Indonesian Time). Another great contributor to Indonesia’s education and development has left our almamater forever, but hopefully not his teachings. May he be accepted to the side of Allah. Amin.
Kronologi Berita [Detik.com]
UPDATES ON PASSENGERS
Body of Garuda Plane - Photo Courtesy of Gregorious Agung
MAILING LIST UGM
Lima warga UGM turut menjadi korban kecelakaan pesawat Garuda. Dari lima korban, tiga diketemukan dalam kondisi selamat, yaitu (i) Muhammad Dimyati (alumnus Fakultas Geografi UGM, tahun 1982) bekerja di Departemen Pekerjaan Umum Jakarta, sekaligus sebagai ketua IGI (Ikatan Geografi Indonesia), (ii) Dr I Ketut Putra Irawan, staf pengajar Jurusan Ilmu Pemerintahan Fisipol UGM, dan (iii) Dr Suwarjono MSc, staf pengajar Fakultas Ekonomi dan Magister Manajemen UGM.
Sementara itu, dua penumpang lainnya masih dalam pencarian, yaitu (i) Prof Dr Koesnadi Hardja Sumantri SH LLM, mantan Rektor UGM dan (ii) Dr Muhammad Masykur Wiratmo MSc, Wakil Dekan Bidang Akademik Fakultas Ekonomi UGM.
ASSOCIATED PRESS CASSUALTIES
21 from 140 died
9 from 19 foreigners died
God, please help us cope with this tragedy…
So…
According to my mom, (papa was too busy meeting neighbors who wanted to see how he was doing and people calling across the nation to get the story in line) papa lost his glasses when the plane hit the ground after the 3rd bump on the runway… fire started in the back followed by smoke…
Luckily, papa sat next to the emergency exit door so he can quickly spot the light from outside and thus jumped out…
Because the plane landed in a rice filed, papa lost his shoe in the mud but his sock was still on, then he ran with one shoe intact and one muddy soaked sock, away from the plane….
When he thought he was far enough, he looked back and took some pictures with his pocket camera. He lost his briefcase with all the books he was planning to teach in Gadjah Mada University when he arrives back in Yogyakarta, but the officials sent him home instead.
Thank God, papa is ok, but what about the other people and other UGM lecturers on the plane? Please send me more info…
Developing Story: GARUDA PLANE CRASH Boeing 737-400
Alhamdulillah, thank God, papa has survived.
Thank u Greg for the pictures. It was difficult for me to find the streaming of the videos. If you have more info please send me the links.
Leaving my appartment at 4 am, my friends dropped me off at the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.
Off I went, smooth flight on Continental Airlines. My 1st time on that carrier.
Arrived on time in Houston and took a taxi to the Consulado General de España at 1800 Bering Drive. The interview was quick, as I’ve expected. All I can do is wait 4 - 6 weeks and pray!
Then I continued on to visit the Indonesian Consulate General of Houston to register myself which I haven’t done since I got in the U.S. Hari yang sangat panjang. Birokrasi di kedutaan selalau berbelit-belit, apa lagi di Indonesia. Kalau ingin pinjam properti untuk mempromosikan Indonesia tercinta, seharusnya dengan mudah dapat dipinjamkan. Namun, kenyataannya satu alasan di atas yang lain membuat hariku puanjaaaaaaaaang dan menggemaskan!
Finally, I stopped by my friend Dian’s house then called a taxi for a ride back to the airport.
I had a bad feeling in my heart when I entered that small 1-2 seated plane. We had a rough take off due to the weather. My flight back home on that window seat was not one that I enjoyed. Every movement of the plane was very noticable because of it’s small size. Thank God, I arrived on time at OKC and was picked up by my friends.
Home sweet home…
As I entered my appartment my roommate told me my Indonesian friend here in Stillwater just called and ordered me to call Indonesia as soon as possible. There was a plane crash in Yogyakarta. Now what?
I turned on CNN, got online, and called home. Mom directly said, “You want to talk to papa?” WHAT? What happened? “Papa is ok.” Huh? I didn’t even know he was on that plane!!! He flies too frequently that he doesn’t always tell me his flight time. My flight 7 - 8:29 pm U.S. Central Time from Houston to Oklahoma City and my dad’s was 6:00 - 7:05 am Indonesian Western Time from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. That means, with daylight savings time, papa was in the air 2 hours before me. So, when it crashed, I was boarding the plane and when they evacuated, I was in the air.
That was why I had the most uncomfortable feeling on that plane flight home.
MY YOGYAKARTA, POOR YOGYAKARTA…
Be strong to what lies ahead.
Yogyakarta’s Merapi lava flow, Yogyakarta’s earthquake, Yogyakarta’s tornado, Yogyakarta’s plane crash
what else?
[Supposedly Indonesian Tourism Industry Expo Day 4]
The next morning, I turned on the national TV stations they did not have much scenes to cover. They say the roads are difficult to pass since rubbles from ruined houses and buildings have blocked most of the roads leading to the devastated areas. Yesterday, my family have visited my grandparents and my uncle in the south. They showed me the pictures and I called them again to see if they were alright. A friend from Imogiri (way down south) text messaged me that his grandmother passed away. I and some of my friends went down there to bring whatever logistic help we could afford and to see what actually happened. I was not in the mood to drive so I let my friend drive and I took pictures instead. Here are some of the scenes…
Day 3
INDONESIAN TOURISM INDUSTRY EXHIBITION
This morning about 5:30 am I was suddenly awakened by a text message on my cellphone from a friend in Jogja. The sms read: “Jogja just experienced an earthquake of a 5.9 Richter scale magnitude“. Aceh was hit by a 9.0 Rs earthquake in 2004. What does this mean? Surprized, shocked, confused, still slumbered, I hastened to use that phone in my hand to call home.
NO SIGNAL. Home phone. Papa’s cell. Mom’s cell. My brother’s cell. My grandparent’s phone. My Aunt’s phone. My cousin’s cell. NO ONE PICKED UP!!!
Could it be Merapi exploding? Unfortunately there was no TV in the hotel room.
Paguyuban Dimas Diajeng Jogja
We were concerned about the wellbeing of the children in the refugee barraks. Those kids must have been very bored and under a lot of stress, not being at in their own home. Paguyuban Dimas Diajeng Jogja had to act fast to help relieve their boredom and cheer them up, so we paid them a visit.
More pictures!
This was not a good time to celebrate anything. Jogja was in such a mournful state. Merapi is active again after over 3 years of hibernation. Full Chronological Report on Merapi 1969-2006. Actually, I did want to celebrate my happiness for being granted the graduate assistantship, but how could I express it without feeling guilty? Berbahagia di atas sengsara - or being happy above others’ grief should strictly be avoided. But, what about being happy WITH them? So I decided to share my joy that day with Mt. Merapi Refugees who had been living in barracks for almost 1 week following the governor’s order to evacuate their homes. Instead of treating my friends at a resto, I took them along on my little project.
The Children Playing
It was successful, thanks to all my friends and the warm welcome by the refugees. Everyone had a delightful lunch and the children enjoyed the games. It was not known for how long they must be evacuated from their houses up in Merapi. To them, this brings worry to the safety of their property and the health of their cattle and farm lands. I felt helpless for that matter. Though it was brief for us to share our joy, we hoped it helped them in some way to deal with their time at the barracks. As the saying goes,
There’s no place like home…
We hoped Merapi activity would cease and the refugees would soon be able to return home.