A Boeing 737-200 with 117 people onboard crashed into a residential area in the North Sumatra capital in the morning of Sept 5, 2005.

An Indonesian passenger plane with 117 people onboard crashed into a residential area in the North Sumatra capital of Medan only minutes after take-off from the Polonia airport Monday morning.

The Boeing 737-200 belonging to local firm Mandala Airlines crashed into dozens of houses and vehicles around Yamin Ginting street in Medan, the biggest city on Sumatra island, local media reports said.

The ill-fated plane took-off at 9:40 local time (0240 GMT) heading to Jakarta, said the Antara news agency.

"The plane hit houses and vehicles before it crashed into pieces," a local resident identified only as Nico was quoted as saying.

The plane carried 112 passengers and five cabin crew. North Sumatra governor Rizal Nurdin is listed among the passengers, Mandala president Asril Hamzah Tanjung said.

Speaking to journalists in Medan, Asril revealed that the plane was manufactured in 1981 and was certified worth flying until 2016.

There was a "take-off failure" but "whether it was caused by bad weather of mechanical problems remains unknown," he said.

Hundreds of policemen, paramedics and residents were still trying to evacuate victims under heavy rain.

The site was around 500 meters from the Polonia airport. Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa estimated that the accident left no survivor among passengers.

People on ground may add the death toll as the plane hit dozens of houses and vehicles during the busy hour.

At least 43 bodies have been evacuated and sent to the Adam Malik hospital in the city.

It was the fourth major air accident in the country this year, after an MD-82 belonging to the Lion Air skidded off runway in Central Java and left 31 people dead and two police aircraft crashed in separate accidents that killed 21 people.

Source: Xinhua