Air crash victim loses her leg

Surgeons have been forced to amputate one of Indonesian plane crash survivor Cynthia Banham's legs and part of the other to save her life, her family says.

The 34-year-old Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) journalist was airlifted to Perth with spinal injuries and extensive burns to her lower body after a Garuda Boeing 737-400 plunged off a runway at Yogyakarta and caught fire last Wednesday.

The crash claimed the lives of 21 people, including five Australians.

Two local villagers, Suwandi and Temon, have told how they helped the badly-burned Banham as she fought free of the burning aircraft and crawled away from the inferno, unable to use her legs.