Wreckage of missing plane found in Indonesia, 10 still missing

The wreckage of a small passenger plane that went missing in eastern Indonesia has been recovered.

The wreckage of a small passenger plane that went missing in eastern Indonesia was recovered on Sunday (January 18). However, the 10 passengers and crew on board are still missing, authorities said.

An Indonesian Air Transport ATR 42-500 turboprop plane suddenly lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday (January 17) afternoon while en route from Yogyakarta to the city of Makassar on Sulawesi island. Rescue workers found the wreckage of the plane in the Bulusaraung hills in South Sulawesi, near Makassar, on Sunday.

The head of the Makassar search and rescue agency, Muhammad Arif Anwar, told a news conference that the plane's fuselage, tail and window parts have been identified among the recovered debris. The search and rescue operation is continuing by air and land.

"Our main goal now is to find the passengers. We hope that at least some of them will be rescued alive," he said. Authorities said the plane crashed in the Mount Bulusarang area of ​​the Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park. Rescue efforts are being hampered by the remote mountainous terrain and dense fog.

More than 1,000 people, including the air force, police and volunteers, are taking part in the operation. Among the passengers on the plane were three government officials from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and seven crew members. They were on a mission to monitor the natural resources of the area.

Indonesia, a large island nation in Southeast Asia, relies heavily on air travel to connect thousands of islands. However, the country's aviation safety record has long been worrisome. There have been several fatal plane and helicopter accidents in recent years.

Gulf News reports.