By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
JAKARTA, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- A helicopter carrying four people crashed in Indonesia’s Papua region after losing contact during a flight from Ilaga to Timika, the national search and rescue agency said.
The AS350 B3 helicopter, operated by PT Intan Angkasa and registered PK-IWS, took off from Ilaga at 11.30 am local time on Wednesday and was scheduled to arrive in Timika an hour later.
“On board were two crew and two passengers delivering logistics to remote communities in the province,” Basarnas chief Mohammad Syafii said in a statement.
He said PK-IWD, another company helicopter, had departed about 10 minutes earlier on the same route and was in radio contact with PK-IWS before poor weather disrupted communications.
“PK-IWD landed safely in Timika and later retraced the route to assist in the search.
“The crew eventually located the wreckage of PK-IWS on a steep mountain slope at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet,” he explained.
Mohammad said an evacuation operation is set for Thursday, subject to weather conditions, and will involve Basarnas, the military, police and local authorities.
The mission will use specialised high-altitude equipment and another PT Intan Angkasa helicopter dispatched from Nabire, he added.
He urged the public not to spread unverified information, saying official updates would be issued as the search and evacuation proceed.
-- BERNAMA
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