Rescuers recover bodies of 10 passengers in Sulawesi plane crash
- 2026-01-23 06:09:05
R escuers on Friday has found the bodies of 10 passengers on a fishery surveillance plane that went missing in Mount Bulusaraung, South Sulawesi, after almost a week of search in the area.
The ATR 42-500 turboprop owned by aviation group Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday at about 1:30 p.m. local time in the mountain area, which is located on the borders of Maros and Pangkep regencies.
There were seven crew members and three passengers on board the plane, which was chartered by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry to conduct air surveillance on its fisheries.
The passengers were ministry staff members. Andi Sultan, an official at South Sulawesi's rescue agency, said through tears during a video statement that authorities found the ninth and tenth bodies early on Friday, adding that the evacuation process was still ongoing.
The agency said separately on its Instagram account that 10 victims have been found. Local rescuers previously discovered the wreckage of the plane in different locations around the mountain.
