Passenger plane crashes in Indonesia

A passenger plane has crashed in popular tourist destination of Yogyakarta, Indonesia killing at least 22 people today.

The Boeing 737-400 plane operated by Garuda airlines from Jakarta was carrying 140 people when it overshot the runway and caught fire.

As well as Indonesian travellers, there were also at least ten Australian diplomatic staff and journalists on board, some of which are yet to be accounted for.

Australian prime minister John Howard has described the crash as a "terrible tragedy".

Indonesia suffered two air and sea disasters last year when a ferry capsized killing 400, and an Adam Air flight went missing in mountains, killing over a hundred people.

The Foreign Office advises travellers visiting Indonesia there are "concerns about the reliability" of some domestic airlines.

"You should be aware that there have been a number of major aircraft crashes in Indonesia over the last ten years, for reasons including bad weather, poor maintenance and mechanical failure," the Foreign Office advises.

"If you intend to use a domestic airline, you should check first with your travel agent that the airline has a good safety record."

For the latest travel advice on visiting Indonesia see www.fco.gov.uk