Indonesian rescuers find debris from missing plane

MAKASSAR, Indonesia: Rescuers on Sunday found the debris from a small plane that went missing in eastern Indonesia, but have yet to locate the 10 passengers who were on board, officials said.

The Indonesian Air Transport turboprop plane lost contact with the air traffic controller on Saturday afternoon while en route from Yogyakarta to the city of Makassar in Sulawesi Island.

Among the debris, the joint search and rescue team found what is believed to be “the fuselage, the tail section, and the windows”, head of Makassar search and rescue agency, Muhammad Arif Anwar, said at a press briefing.

A rescue unit was also deployed by air to search for the missing passengers, Arif said.

“Our current priority is locating victims, and we hope there are still some we can evacuate in a safe condition,” Arif added.

The plane crashed into Mount Bulusaraung in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park, which borders the city of Makassar, Arif said.

The search on land and by air involved more than 1,000 people including members of the air force, police and volunteers.

Local military chief, Bangun Nawoko, told reporters that rescue efforts were hindered by harsh terrain and fog.

Three government workers from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries were among those on board, along with seven crew members.

Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said they had been on a mission to conduct aerial monitoring of resources in the area.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands. The country has a poor aviation safety record, with several fatal crashes in recent years.

In September, a helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed shortly after taking off from South Kalimantan province, killing everybody on board.

Less than two weeks after the September crash, four people were killed when their helicopter crashed in the remote Papua district of Ilaga.