More than 100 passengers had a miracle escape today after a plane crashed into the sea as it attempted to land off the coast of Bali.
Eyewitnesses said passengers fearing for their lives screamed in panic as the Lion Air jet fell short of the runway at Ngurah Rai Airport, near Denparsar. The aircraft, carrying 101 passengers and seven crew members, smashed into the sea prompting a huge rescue effort. Terrified passengers were pictured fleeing from the stricken plane, with many waiting on its wings as rescuers launched a dramatic rescue effort.
Dewi, a passenger who sustained head wounds in the crash, relived the horrific moment the plane crashed into the water: 'The aircraft was in landing position when suddenly I saw it getting closer to the sea, and finally it hit the water. 'All of the passengers were screaming in panic in fear they would drown. I left behind my belongings and went to an emergency door. I got out of the plane and swam before rescuers jumped in to
help me.'
The airport is known for its runway which extends out into the ocean.
Many of the passengers escaped through emergency doors which opened half way along the fuselage and made their way to the shore in inflatable yellow dinghies.
After being evacuated off the plane, they were taken to the airport terminal for treatment.
Airport officials said that several people were injured in the crash, but the extent of their injuries were not known.
Lion Air is currently banned from flying with the European Union because of concerns over its safety levels.
Pictures from the scene show the passenger jet with its distinctive red Lion name on the side lying partially submerged in the water near rocks at the end of the runway.
The plane had broken its back - the rear section drooped further into the water and a large split could be seen in the last portion of the jet.
Other passengers milled about at the airport as police and officials attempted to establish what had happened to cause the jet to crash into the sea.
Bali Police Chief Arif Wahyunadi said: 'All passengers and crew have been taken off the aircraft as it lies in the sea.
'They are being attended to at the airport.'
Up to 45 people were taken to several different hospitals for treatment.
I Made Krisna Maharta, an official with Bali's search and rescue agency, said all of the passengers and crew were safely rescued. He said initial reports showed there were 101 passengers and seven crew members aboard the plane.
Mr Wahyunadi said the jet had originated in the city of Bandung, Indonesia's third largest city - a tourist attraction because of its ancient architecture.
A photo on TV One shows the plane sitting on top of the water.
An official at Bali's international airport said: 'We believe all the passengers and crew are safe. They are currently being attended to by medical staff, police and airline officials.
The Transportation Ministry's director general of aviation, Harry Bakti Gumay, said the plane overshot the runway and fell into the sea from a height of about 50 meters (55 yards).
The cause of the accident was unclear, and Gumay said an investigation was under way.
'We will know what happened later but it appears the aircraft overshot the runway. Fortunately it has come down in shallow water.'
Bali is a popular holiday getaway for Britons and other Europeans looking to escape the cold northern hemisphere weather.
Indonesia has a bad record for air crashes, many of the airlines using second or third hand aircraft purchased after other countries have finished with them.
Ngurah Rai Airport is Indonesia's second-busiest international airport.
The airport is named after I Gusti Ngurah Rai, an Indonesian National Hero who died in November 1946.
