Urgent: 10 people on board.. Loss of contact with an Indonesian plane

Indonesian aircraft accidents

Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Terenggono explained during a press conference that three employees of his ministry were on board the plane on a mission to conduct aerial monitoring of resources in the region.

The airline stated that seven crew members were also on board. Contact with the plane was lost shortly after 1:00 p.m. (06:00 GMT).

The head of the local search and rescue agency, Mohamed Arif Anwar, told AFP that teams were deployed in a mountainous area in Maros County, which borders Makassar, near the last known location of the plane.

Continuing search

He added that search operations by land and air are involving the air force, police and volunteers.

In turn, Andy Sultan, head of operations at the Makassar Search and Rescue Agency, said that a helicopter and drones were being used to find the plane.

The company announced "ATR" The French manufacturer of the plane was informed of…"accident" Regarding one of its aircraft.

Aviation in Indonesia

The company said in a statement that "ATR experts are fully engaged to support the investigation led by the Indonesian authorities and the operator"

Indonesia, a vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, relies heavily on air transport to connect thousands of its islands.

However, the country has a poor aviation safety record, with several fatal accidents in recent years.