Medan, September 6:

Investigators hunted for clues today as to why an Indonesian jetliner crashed seconds after takeoff, shifting through body parts and bits of flesh as they worked, as weeping families looked for loved ones among dozens of charred bodies. At least 149 people were killed when the Boeing 737-200 crashed yesterday in Indonesia’s third largest city of Medan, 47 of them on the ground, a hospital official said today after tallying the corpses. But 15 passengers survived, including an 18-month-old boy who was shielded in his mother’s arms.

Transport Minister Hatta Rajasa said it would be several weeks before the cause of the crash was known, but that investigators would be looking at why the Mandala Airlines plane failed to take off properly. The flight data recorder has been found, officials said.

Survivors said the jetliner started shaking violently when it reached an altitude of about 100 metres, veering sharply to the left and smashing onto a busy road. But some described a loud bang while the plane was still in flight, followed by a ball of fire.