Indonesian jetliner crash no survivors, all 117 people aboard dead

Indonesian Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa estimated Monday that the plane crash in Medan left no survivor, calling it the worst air disaster in five years.

See photo report of the accident here

"This is very tragic and may be the worst accident in the last five years," Hatta was quoted by the official Antara news agency as saying.

The Boeing 737-200 with 117 people onboard crashed into a residential area in the North Sumatra capital minutes after take-off Monday morning.

Hatta said the cause of the accident cannot be confirmed yet pending investigation by the National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT), reports Xinhua.

Hollan Sianturi, a spokesman for Mandala Airlines, said 110 passengers - including three children - and seven crew members were aboard the aircraft for Flight RI91.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Mandala Airlines, which has 15 aging planes, has faced tough competition in recent years and been forced to cut services.

Medan is Indonesia's third-largest city, and the area around the airport is densely populated. The airport has served as the hub for delivery of aid to the hard-hit province of Aceh since the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck the northern tip of the island, informs LA Times.