Scattered pieces of debris have been found after an Indonesian plane carrying 11 people crashed.
Rescue workers confirmed on Sunday that pieces of plane debris had been found in South Sulawesi, a day after it disappeared mid-flight.
Rescue workers confirmed Sunday that debris had been found a day after the plane went missing. Credit: EPA.
New footage shows debris strewn across the steep mountainside, reinforcing suspicions that the crash was unsurvivable and no passengers have yet been located.
The ATR 42-500 aircraft were operated by Indonesia Air Transport for the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
There were eight crew members and three ministry employees on board; their fate has still not been officially confirmed.
Contact with the plane was lost around 1:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, as it was flying near the Maros region while travelling from Yogyakarta to Makassar.
At 7:46 a.m. Sunday, helicopter crews spotted the first signs of debris in the rugged terrain of Mount Bulusarang.
Rescuers found several debris sites, including broken windows and parts of the fuselage scattered on the mountain slopes.
The tail of the aircraft was later identified at the foot of the mountain range, confirming the scale of the impact.
Flightradar24 data showed that the plane’s last signal was transmitted while flying at a low altitude over the sea, about 20 kilometres from Makassar’s Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport.
Authorities believe the plane crashed while on approach to the airport, with terrain and weather likely causing difficulty in the final moments of the flight.
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
Officials said the plane was just 12 miles from its destination when it disappeared from radar.
Local residents reported that a sound “like burning material” was heard, followed by a loud explosion shortly before the debris was discovered.
Hikers on Mount Bulusarang said they saw scattered debris, including a logo believed to be that of Indonesia Air.
Small fires have also been reported in the area where the debris was found.
Rescue workers are now searching the wreckage amid growing concerns that “all 11 people on board died” in the crash.
Rescue efforts on the ground have been slow due to dense fog and steep mountainous terrain.
Major General Bangun Nawoko, Hasanuddin military commander for South Sulawesi, said the sighting had been reported to authorities and was being confirmed by rescue teams attempting to reach the scene.
Andy Sultan, the head of the Makassar Basarnas operations section, reported that AirNav’s coordinates led to the deployment of 60 search and rescue personnel.
“We have moved towards the location of the coordinates around the Liang-Liang area,” Sultan said.
Air Transport Director General Luqman F. Laisa said air traffic control had attempted to redirect the plane after it deviated from its approach path.
“It was discovered that the aircraft was not on the approach path where it was supposed to be, so air traffic control redirected the crew to correct the situation,” Laisa said.
He said further instructions were issued before communication broke down and the emergency phase was declared.
Officials said the plane’s low altitude near the coast limited radar coverage at the last minute.
The aircraft, registered as PK-THT, is owned by Indonesia Air Transport, a charter company that operates long-term government contracts for maritime and fisheries surveillance.
