Jakarta (VNA) – A joint search and rescue team in Indonesia on January 19 recovered another victim from the crash of an ATR 42-500 aircraft operated by Indonesia Air Transport in the Bulusaraung mountain range, Pangkajene Islands district, South Sulawesi province.
Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Mohammad Syafii said the body was found at around 2:00 pm local time, following report from field search personnel. The latest recovery brought the total number of victims found to two, after a male victim was discovered a day earlier.
According to Syafii, the identity of the newly recovered victim has not yet been disclosed, pending official identification by the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team of the Indonesian National Police. Initial information indicated that the second victim was female.
The body was located on the third day of the search operation on a steep cliff of Mount Bulusaraung, about 500 metres below the summit, in an area characterised by rugged terrain and deep ravines. Evacuation efforts are currently under way, with rescue teams proceeding cautiously due to the challenging conditions.
The ATR 42-500 aircraft was reported to have lost contact on January 17 afternoon while approaching Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport, and was believed to have crashed in the mountainous area bordering Maros and Pangkep regencies. It was carrying 10 people, including seven crew members and three passengers./.
Indonesia finds wreckage of missing aircraft
A military helicopter participating in the search spotted a fragment believed to be an aircraft window in a forest on the slopes of Mount Bulusaraung. Shortly afterwards, ground rescue teams discovered several large pieces of debris, thought to be parts of the main fuselage and tail section, scattered along a steep mountainside.
