Indonesia jet crash bodies sent for identification

Body bags containing the victims of a Russian jet crash began arriving in the Indonesian capital Saturday as Russian investigators flew in to join the probe into how the aircraft smashed into the side of a volcano. Rescuers said the bodies of those who perished when Sukhoi's new Superjet 100 hit Mount Salak in western Java on Wednesday, killing all on board, were badly dismembered. Officials said the remains of the victims found so far had been placed in 16 body bags. By noon five had arrived in Jakarta by helicopter and were taken to a police hospital for identification. "This morning we have 16 body bags. On Friday, there were 12, and four more were filled today (Saturday). No body was found in its whole form," West Java provincial military chief Sonny Widjaja said. Each bag could contain the remains of more than one victim, he said. Officials said Friday that 12 bodies had been found. As the bodies arrived at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma military airport, two Russian jets landed carrying medics, helicopters and experts who will work with Indonesian authorities in the investigation. Sukhoi's representative company in Indonesia, Trimarga Rekatama -- which organised the promotional flight to tout the new jet -- said scores of Russian experts would join the investigation. "There will be 73 Russian experts, some are here already. Thirty-seven of them are mechanics," the company's consultant Sunaryo told AFP. The company has apologised for confusion surrounding its manifest, claiming at first 50 passengers were on board but revising the number down to 45. Local rescue officials said the plane was carrying 46. The company said the final passenger list was with a staff member on the plane, causing confusion as to how many and who exactly was on board. "We are so sorry about that. It was a mistake. The list should have been with us on the ground," Sunaryo said. Questions now swirl over why the plane crashed with an experienced pilot as its captain. Key to the mystery is why the pilot requested permission from air traffic control to descend from 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) to 6,000 feet before the plane disappeared from radar screens and slammed into Mount Salak, which rises to 7,200 feet. The transport ministry said a control tower in Jakarta gave the pilot permission to descend as the plane approached a military base in a clearing amid the mountains in western Java. "Based on a report from the control tower, we know the pilot made the request to descend to 6,000 feet, and yes, the control tower gave him permission to do so," the ministry's director general for aviation Herry Bakti told AFP. "He was approaching the Atang Senjaya military base, which is a safe place to fly low, and we know that he did in fact descend to 6,000 feet. We think he wanted to show the passengers the military base." Bakti said it was unclear what happened after that. A Russian fact-finding committee said Thursday there were indications that safety standards were violated. Relatives at the hospital wailed as they watched the body bags arrive for identification. Anton Castilani, a forensics expert with the national police, said at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital in Jakarta that his team would try and "reconstruct the body parts as much as possible", saying it could take up to six months. Photos of the plane's first demonstration flight posted online by Russian blogger Sergey Dolya show relaxed passengers smiling onboard, being treated to champagne, as well as Russian and Indonesian crew posing outside the jet. Eight Russians, as well as a French and US national, were onboard the flight out of a total of at least 45 passengers and crew. Police hospital chief Agus Prayitno said because there were foreigners aboard, Indonesia was working with Interpol's disaster victim identification agency based in Lyon, France. Rescuers were still searching for the aircraft's black boxes at the crash site, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Jakarta. Wednesday's calamity came 50 minutes into the flight, part of an Asian sales tour to promote the aircraft, a joint venture between Sukhoi and Italy's Alenia Aeronautica, which made its first commercial flight last year.