Rimbun Air Cargo Plane Crashes into Papua Mountain; 3 Crews Found Dead

TEMPO.CO, Jayapura - Papua Police Head of Public Relations Sr. Comr. Ahmad Kamal said the joint search and rescue (SAR) team had found the location of the missing small cargo plane Rimbun Air in the hills of Bilogai Village, Sugapa District, Intan Jaya Regency.

The cargo plane with the flight number PK-OTW crashed into the hills after losing contact in Sugapa en route to Nabire Regency from Intan Jaya Regency. Three crew members on board were found dead.

The crew members were pilot Mirza, co-pilot Fajar, and technician Iswahyudi. The joint SAR team was still trying to evacuate their bodies buried by parts of the plane. 

Kamal said the evacuation process of the plane carrying building materials was hampered by bad weather. “It has been raining and foggy from afternoon until now,” he said on Wednesday, September 15.

The bodies of the crew members were planned to be taken to Sugapa on Thursday.

As previously reported, Rimbun Air lost contact with air control in Sugapa district at 7:37 a.m. Eastern Indonesian Time (WIT). Around 11 a.m, locals reported that they found parts of the small cargo plane in Bilogai Village at an altitude of 2,400 meters.

Based on the report, the joint SAR team of the Indonesian Military, Police, and Papuan church youths rushed to the location and found the crashed cargo plane.

Read: Rimbun Air Loses Contact in Papua's Intan Jaya

ANTARA