An aircraft earlier reported missing is now feared to have crashed in Indonesia, with all 11 people on board believed to have died.
The Indonesia Air Transport turboprop aircraft, an ATR 42-500, departed Yogyakarta on Saturday for a scheduled two-hour flight to Makassar, South Sulawesi. Air traffic controllers reportedly lost contact with the plane when it was about 12 miles from its destination.
There were three passengers and eight crew members on board at the time of the incident.
Search and rescue operations have since been launched, with teams deployed to the coordinates provided by AirNav around the Leang-Leang area.
Confirming the operation, Andi Sultan, Head of Operations at Makassar’s Basarnas office, said rescue personnel had been mobilised to locate the aircraft.
“We have moved to the location of the coordinates around the Leang-Leang area based on information from AirNav,” he said.
According to him, a total of 60 search and rescue personnel have been deployed. He explained that an initial team of five officers was sent for assessment, followed by a second team of 15 personnel, while a third team comprising 40 trained search and rescue officers is being prepared for further operations.
As of the time of this report, rescue efforts were ongoing, while authorities continue to assess the situation and await confirmation of the aircraft’s fate.