Indonesian rescuers on Sunday recovered wreckage from a plane that went missing a day earlier with 11 people onboard. The aircraft is believed to have crashed while approaching a mountainous area on Sulawesi island amid cloudy weather conditions, according to an AP report.
The Indonesian ATR 42-500 aircraft was gone missing near Makassar. The Indonesia Air Transport aircraft lost contact with air traffic control at about 1:30 pm. (0530 GMT) in the Maros region of South Sulawesi province, Reuters reported citing an official from the local rescue agency.
Passenger and crew details
The plane was heading to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, after taking off from Yogyakarta province before communication was lost, the official said. There were eight crew members and three passengers on board, he added.
Flightradar24 said an ATR 42-500, operated by the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, disappeared from radar while flying at a low altitude over the ocean, which limited radar visibility. Its last signal was picked up at 04:20 UTC, around 12 miles (20 km) northeast of Makassar airport.
Search and rescue operations underway
Around 400 personnel, including military and police teams, have been deployed to search for the aircraft and the people on board. However, bad weather is slowing down the operation, the official said. He declined to comment on what might have caused the incident, according to the Reuters.
“We suspect the plane came down near the peak of Mount Bulusaraung. We have deployed our personnel there,” he said.
Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono said the three passengers were ministry staff carrying out aerial surveillance related to fisheries, as per the news agency.
The ATR 42-500 is a regional turboprop plane that can carry between 42 and 50 passengers.
In France, ATR – the Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer – said it had been informed of an accident in Indonesia and that its specialists were supporting local authorities as they began their investigation, the report mentioned.
Reports of debris from hikers in the area
The missing plane was flying over a rugged and densely forested area. Earlier, hikers in the Mount Bufusrung area said they saw debris, a plane-like logo and fire burning on the mountain. Rescue teams are trying to reach the spot to check these claims, but the steep hills and difficult terrain are slowing them down. Officials said that even though there were clouds in the area, visibility at the time of the incident was around 8 km, according to media reports.
Leang-Leang is known for its limestone hills, caves and thick forests and is part of the Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park. The region has narrow valleys and high rock formations, making it hard for rescue teams to move quickly.