JAKARTA
The Bali Times

Two people taking a shortcut on a runway in Java were killed on Monday when they were struck by a plane, an official said.

The Tobago 10 light aircraft was coming in to land at an airstrip outside Jakarta when the two local residents rode in front of it on a motorcycle, said civil aviation department director general Herry Bhakti Singayuda.

“The plane couldn’t avoid them … It hit the motorcycle and instantly killed the two,” he said.

A flight instructor and student on board the aircraft suffered serious injuries and were rushed to hospital.

Singayuda blamed officials at the government-run flying school for failing to prevent keep nearby residents from driving on the runway.

“It should be a restricted zone,” he said.