JAKARTA, Indonesia - A commercial jetliner caught fire as it landed at an airport on Indonesia's Java island on Wednesday, killing at least eight people an airline official said.

A Garuda Indonesia flight prepares to land in Denpasar, on Bali island, in 2006. [AFP]

Operations director of national carrier Garuda Capt. Ari Sapari said authorities were trying to rescue passengers onboard the Boeing 737-400. Media reports said more than 100 people were believed to have been on the plane.

"It caught alight when it landed," he said giving no more details.

The incident happened at Jogyakarta airport in central Java, Sapari said.

"Before the plane landed it was shaking. Suddenly there was smoke inisde the fueselage, it hit the runway and then it landed into a rice field," said local Islamic leader Dien Syamsudin. "I saw a foreigner. His clothes were on fire and I jumped from the emergency exit, thank God I survived."

Witness Hariman Siregar said the plane was completely gutted.

One passenger who survived told local TV station RCTI TV that "before landing I felt the plane shake strongly."

"We overshot the runway, then I heard the sound of an explosion and ran through an emergency exit," continued passenger Muhammad Dimyati. "I believe many passengers remained trapped on board."