Missing Indonesian Plane ‘Crashed’ Into Mountain — Residents

Jakarta (PNA/Xinhua) — Indonesian transport ministry said on Sunday that local residents have reported that they have seen the missing plane hit a mountain.

“According to the (local) community, the plane hit Mount Tangok in Pengunungan Bintang district,” Suprasetyo, director general of the air transport of the transport ministry, told a press conference held at the ministry.

Military officers, policemen and other search and rescue personnel in Papua province have taken coordinated efforts, the transport minister Ignasius Jonan said.

“Tomorrow (Monday), (they) will take action as early as possible,” he told the press conference.

“Tonight (Sunday night), those officials from the search and rescue office along with director general of the air transport will go there to help handle evacuation,” Jonan said.

The ATR-42 aircraft, operated by Trigana Air, lost communication with the control tower at 14:55 local time (0555 GMT) .

Three children and two infants were among the 49 passengers and five crews, officials said.

The TGN267 flight took off at 14:22 from the Sentani airport in Papua’s capital of Jayapura and was expected to arrive at Oksibil at 15:04, he said.

On Aug. 12, a small passenger plane crashed when it was trying to land in Ninia airport of Papua, killing one person and badly wounding the pilot and four others.

Small planes have been operated in remote provinces of Indonesia, an archipelago nation of some 17,000 islands. (PNA/Xinhua) JBP/EBP