A man’s body has been discovered during the search for 11 individuals on board a missing aircraft that is suspected to have crashed, with wreckage fragments also being located. The plane disappeared while nearing a hilly area on Sulawesi island, Indonesia, amidst cloudy weather conditions. The rescue team recovered the body from a deep ravine on Mount Bulusaraung’s slope, situated close to scattered aircraft debris.
Muhammad Arif Anwar, who leads the Search and Rescue Office in Makassar and coordinates the mission, mentioned that the body retrieval operation is currently in progress. Teams have also uncovered additional wreckage, such as parts of the aircraft frame, passenger seats, and a component believed to be the engine.
Although the body has not been identified yet, it is presumed to be from the turboprop ATR 42-500 that went missing while en route from Yogyakarta on Java to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. The aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was last traced at 1:17 p.m. in the Leang-Leang area of Maros in South Sulawesi, carrying eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.
On Sunday morning, a rescue team aboard an air force helicopter spotted what seemed to be a small aircraft window in a forested region on Mount Bulusaraung’s slope. Subsequently, ground rescuers retrieved larger debris resembling the main fuselage and tail spread across a steep northern slope.
The discovery of the primary sections of the aircraft has significantly narrowed down the search area, aiding in focusing the search efforts on finding potential survivors. Ground and air rescue operations continue despite adverse weather conditions, including strong winds, heavy fog, and rugged terrain that have impeded progress.
Over 100 personnel, supported by elite forces’ Specialized Search and Rescue Units, are involved in the search efforts, facing challenges like heavy rain and limited visibility due to thick fog. The difficult conditions have even led to the cancellation of certain descent plans for safety reasons.
Images and footage released by the National Search and Rescue Agency depict rescuers navigating through steep, fog-covered mountain ridges to access scattered wreckage. Indonesia heavily relies on air travel and ferry services to connect its vast island network, with the country having experienced various transportation incidents in recent years, including plane crashes, bus accidents, and ferry disasters.