Rescue teams locate plane wreckage with 11 people on board

Rescue Team Discovers Plane Wreckage on Mount Bulusaraung

A rescue team on an air force helicopter spotted what appears to be a small aircraft window in a forested area on the slope of Mount Bulusaraung, according to officials. The discovery was made on Sunday morning as part of the ongoing search for a missing plane that vanished from radar on Saturday.

The plane, operated by Indonesia Air Transport and carrying 11 people, was last tracked in the Leang-Leang area of Maros, South Sulawesi province. It was en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar when it disappeared during cloudy conditions.

Rescuers on the ground have since retrieved larger debris consistent with the main fuselage and tail scattered on a steep northern slope. The discovery has significantly narrowed the search zone and provided a crucial clue for tightening the search area, officials said.

The plane was a turboprop ATR 42-500, carrying eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry who were on board as part of an airborne maritime surveillance mission. Ground and air rescue teams continued their efforts to locate the wreckage site on Sunday, despite challenging weather conditions.

Photos released by the National Search and Rescue Agency showed rescuers trekking along a steep, narrow mountain ridgeline in thick fog to reach scattered wreckage. The search operation is ongoing, with officials focusing on searching for the victims, especially those who might still be alive.

Source: Al Jazeera