Garuda Indonesia flight makes emergency landing after engine fire

Jakarta: A jetliner taking 468 people from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing Wednesday due to an engine fire, the Garuda Indonesia a...

Jakarta: A jetliner taking 468 people from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing Wednesday due to an engine fire, the Garuda Indonesia airline said, in the latest incident in the archipelago's poor safety record.

The Indonesian flag carrier said the Garuda-1105 flight to Madinah -- operated by a Boeing 747-400 -- returned to its original airport in the Indonesian city of Makassar at 17:15 local time (0915 GMT) with all passengers unhurt.

"The decision was made by the Pilot in Command immediately after takeoff, considering engine problems that required further examination after sparks of fire were observed in one of the engines," said Garuda President Director Irfan Setiaputra in a statement.

There were 450 passengers and 18 crew members on the flight, Irfan said.

They were all redirected to accommodations before boarding a replacement flight later on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia, he said.