INDONESIA: Investigators have ruled out sabotage or terrorism in their initial probe into the cause of a plane crash that killed 21 people.

About 117 survivors staggered from the Boeing 737-400 after it broke through a fence and came to rest in a rice field. Most escaped without major injuries, although several suffered burns and broken bones.

Those killed were trapped in the wreckage of the Garuda Airlines plane after it caught fire.

The plane had been carrying 140 passengers and crew when the accident happened at Yogyakarta airport on Java island.

It was the third plane crash in as many months in Indonesia, raising questions about the safety of the country's booming airline sector.

Two people were missing and five Australians were feared to be among the dead.

Joseph Tumenggung, the head of the investigation team, said: "We cannot make a preliminary conclusion yet, but it is clear there are no indications of sabotage or intentional explosions as yet."