Rescue teams in Indonesia on Sunday found debris from a small turboprop aircraft that went missing a day earlier in eastern Indonesia. However, the 10 people on board are yet to be located, officials said.The Indonesian Air Transport plane lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday afternoon while flying from Yogyakarta to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province. Authorities launched a large-scale search operation after communication with the aircraft was cut shortly after 1 pm local time.At a press briefing, Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of the Makassar search and rescue agency, said the joint rescue team had recovered aircraft parts believed to include “the fuselage, the tail section, and the windows”. He said both ground and aerial units were continuing efforts to trace the missing passengers and crew, as reported by AFP. “Our current priority is locating victims, and we hope there are still some we can evacuate in a safe condition,” Arif said. He added that an aerial rescue unit had also been deployed to support the search.According to officials, the aircraft crashed into Mount Bulusaraung inside Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park, a mountainous area that borders the city of Makassar. The terrain, combined with poor visibility, has made rescue efforts challenging.Local military chief Bangun Nawoko told reporters that the operation was being hindered by harsh terrain and dense fog. “These conditions are slowing movement on the ground and limiting visibility from the air,” he said.More than 1,000 personnel have been involved in the search operation, including teams from the air force, police, search and rescue agencies and local volunteers. Helicopters, drones and ground teams have been deployed across Maros Regency, near the plane’s last known location, officials said. Multiple agencies are coordinating the effort to ensure coverage of difficult-to-reach areas.Authorities said there were 10 people on board the aircraft, including seven crew members and three government employees from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the officials were travelling on official duty.“They were on a mission to conduct aerial monitoring of resources in the area,” Trenggono said, confirming that his ministry was in close contact with rescue agencies and the families of those on board.Aircraft manufacturer ATR said it had been informed of “an accident” involving one of its planes and was supporting the ongoing response. “ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation led by the Indonesian authorities and the operator,” the company said in a statement.Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, depends heavily on air transport to connect its remote and geographically dispersed regions. However, the country has faced repeated aviation safety challenges over the years, with several fatal accidents involving both planes and helicopters.In September last year, a helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed shortly after taking off from South Kalimantan province, killing everyone on board. Less than two weeks later, another helicopter crash in the remote Papua district of Ilaga claimed four lives.
Indonesia plane crash: Wreckage found in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park; search on for 10 onboard
