Indonesian rescuers are searching for the 11 people who were on board the small aircraft when it crashed during an approach to one of
Indonesian rescuers recovered the body of a person suspected of being on board on the plane (Image: AP)
Rescuers have recovered a body from an Indonesian air craft amid a search for 11 people onboard a plane that have crashed on an island but maintain hope there could be survivors.
The team managed to recover the body of a man some 656 feet down a ravine on the slope of Sulawesi island’s Mount Bulusaraung on Sunday afternoon (local time). The remains were found close to the scattered debris of the Indonesia Air ATR 42 plane.
A rescue operation was launched following the January 17 crash while the pilot was flying from Adisutjipto Airport to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. Makassar Search and Rescue Office chief Muhammad Arif Anwar said the evacuation of the body is underway.
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The remains have not yet been identified, although it is believed to have been from the aircraft. Rescuers also managed to retrieve larger debris that was consistent with the main fuselage and tail scattered on a steep northern slope, Anwar said.
“The discovery of the aircraft’s main sections significantly narrows the search zone and offers a crucial clue for tightening the search area,” Anwar added, holding out hope. “Our joint search and rescue teams are now focusing on searching for the victims, especially those who might still be alive.”
Some 100 personnel supported by the country’s armed forces were deployed across several sectors. The teams have since been dealing with heavy rain and thick fog with a visibility of only five metres at the summit.
Major General Bangun Nawoko, the military commander of South Sulawesi Hasanuddin, said: “This affected movement and even forced the cancellation of a planned vertical descent for safety.” Photos and videos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed rescuers trekking along a steep, narrow mountain ridgeline that was blanketed in thick fog in a bid to reach scattered wreckage.
The plane was last tracked at 1:17pm local time and had been carrying eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry who were aboard as part of an airborne maritime surveillance mission. Indonesia relies on air transport and ferries to connect its estimated 17,000 islands.
The country has been plagued by transport accidents, including plane and bus crashes to ferry sinking.
