Rescue teams resumed their efforts this morning in the search for an Indonesian airliner, which is believed to have crashed with 54 people on board.
The Trigana Air Service plane went missing yesterday while transporting 44 adults, five children and five crew members from Sentani Airport in Jayapura to Oksibil.
According to Transportation Ministry Spokesperson, J.A. Barata, the plane lost contact with ground control around 2.55pm Sunday.
He told Indonesian media that there was no indication that a distress call was made from the plane and search teams are now working off information received from villagers that the plane may have crashed into the mountains in the Papua province.
Residents of Okbape village in Papua’s Bintang district told officials that they saw the plane flying low before it collided with the mountains.
Indonesia’s Director General of Air Transport, Suprasetyo, said around 150 people will join aerial and ground searches of the province today.
In a Twitter update published earlier, Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed search teams had not yet reached the site and could not confirm reports of a wreckage.
“Until now, the combined rescue team has not reached the crash site/location of the incident which according to local residents have seen Trigana plane crashed.”
Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency
“Immediately then we also could not confirm the news circulating outside.”
