Rescue authorities in Indonesia have launched a major search operation for a small passenger plane that went missing on Saturday with 11 people on board.
Search Operation Underway in Mountainous Region
According to officials from the Makassar search and rescue agency, contact with the Indonesia Air Transport turboprop plane was lost shortly after 1:00 pm local time (0600 GMT). The aircraft had departed from Yogyakarta and was en route to the city of Makassar on Sulawesi island.
The plane was carrying three passengers and eight crew members. Muhammad Arif Anwar, who leads the local search and rescue agency, stated that teams have been deployed to a mountainous area of Maros Regency. This region borders Makassar and is close to the aircraft's last known location.
Multi-Agency Effort to Locate Aircraft
The search effort is a combined operation involving land and air assets. Andi Sultan, the operations chief at the Makassar agency, confirmed that a helicopter and drones are being utilized to scan the difficult terrain.
The Indonesian air force, police, and volunteer groups are all participating in the urgent mission to find the missing plane. The scale of the operation highlights the seriousness of the situation.
Manufacturer ATR Acknowledges Incident
The manufacturer of the aircraft, France-based ATR, has been informed of the incident. The company released a statement acknowledging "an accident" involving one of its planes.
"ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation led by the Indonesian authorities and the operator," the statement read. This indicates that technical support from the manufacturer will be part of the ongoing response.
This incident brings renewed attention to Indonesia's aviation safety record. As a vast archipelago nation, the country depends heavily on air travel to connect its thousands of islands. However, it has experienced several fatal air accidents in recent years.
In a tragic reminder of the risks, a helicopter crash in South Kalimantan in September last year killed all eight people on board. Another helicopter crash in Papua's Ilaga district less than two weeks later claimed four more lives. The current search operation continues with hope for a positive outcome.
