By RIA Novosti
Jakarta : A passenger plane collided with a calf on an airport runway in Indonesia’s eastern province of Papua, the country’s Antara news agency reported on Monday.
The Boeing 737 was carrying 141 people, none of whom were injured in the accident.
Herson, the head of Merauke Airport said: “The calf was running fast from the Jati village which is located to the east of the airport, so the plane could not avoid hitting it.”
The plane’s left engine was damaged in the collision.
Merauke airport, which handles around 20 domestic flights daily, has not been fully fenced due to funding problems, the airport chief said.
Locals have been repeatedly urged to “guard their cattle properly so that the animals do not trespass the airport area,” he said.
A similar incident occurred in 2005, when a relief plane hit a cow on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. Banda Aceh Airport was subsequently closed for several hours.