Indonesia launches search operation for missing commercial airliner

Three government workers from Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries were on board a plane that lost contact with air traffic control while en route to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi Province. The aircraft, an ATR 42-500 operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was chartered for fisheries surveillance purposes.

According to Andi Sultan, operations chief at the Makassar search and rescue agency, the plane lost contact with air traffic control around 1:30pm on Saturday in the Maros region of South Sulawesi Province. The incident occurred approximately 400 kilometers east of the Java Sea.

Maritime affairs and fisheries minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono confirmed that three employees from his ministry were on board the plane. Reports indicate that there were either seven or eight crew members on board, although this information has not been officially confirmed by the airline.

A search operation is currently underway, with approximately 400 personnel, including military and police units, deployed to locate the plane and those on board. The effort is being hindered by bad weather conditions. Flightradar24 data suggests that an aircraft matching the description was flying eastward over the Java Sea before losing altitude and dropping off tracking systems.

The ATR 42-500 is a regional turboprop aircraft capable of carrying between 42 and 50 passengers. The manufacturer, ATR, has confirmed that one of its planes was involved in an incident and is providing support to Indonesian investigators and the operator.

Source: Al Jazeera