Body Found In Search For Ill-Fated ATR 42-500, Evacuation Underway - SAR Coordinator

JAKARTA, Jan 18 (Bernama) -- Indonesian authorities have recovered the body of one of the 10 people on board an ill-fated plane that crashed in South Sulawesi on Sunday.

Search and rescue (SAR) mission coordinator Muhammad Arif Anwar said the body is believed to be that of a passenger of the Indonesian Air Transport ATR 42-500 aircraft reported missing since Saturday.

He said the body was found at around 2.20 pm local time on Sunday on the slope of Bulusaraung Hill in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, where aircraft debris had earlier been located.

“One victim, a male, was found at coordinates 04°54'44" S and 119°44'48" E, at the bottom of a ravine approximately 200 metres deep and near aircraft debris. 

“Evacuation efforts are currently under way,” he said in a statement.

The aircraft carrying seven crew and three passengers was reported to have lost contact with air traffic control around noon on Saturday over Maros District en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar.

The Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry confirmed on Saturday that the missing aircraft is its patrol aircraft. The plane is operated by IAT and registered as PK-THT.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Arif said the SAR team had identified the location of the aircraft’s engine based on visual reports from the field and had also found additional debris believed to be from the aircraft, including parts of the airframe and seats.

He said, the SAR operation, which began since early Sunday, had been conducted under extremely challenging terrain and weather conditions, with teams facing heavy rain and thick fog that limited visibility to about five metres at the summit.

“This has affected the teams’ movements, including the temporary cancellation of a vertical descent for personnel safety,” he said.

-- BERNAMA