Australian, Slovak feared dead in Indonesia plane crash
An Indonesian aircraft with one Australian and one Slovak pilot on board crashed in the country’s remote Papua region on Friday, a company spokesman said, with both men feared dead.
Susi Air’s small Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft crashed in Papua’s Yahukimo district shortly after taking off from Wamena at around noon, carrying fuel and food to a remote area.
“Our aircraft has crashed in Papua. We suspect it was because of the bad weather,” Susi Air spokesman Gunanjar told AFP.
Thick fog has prevented a search and rescue team reaching the pilots, whose condition is unknown, but Susi Air said there was little chance they had survived.
A Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft of Susi Air prepares to take off at Jayapura airport in Papua province in June 2011. Susi Air's small Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft with one Australian and one Slovak pilot on board crashed in the country's remote Papua region on Friday, a company spokesman said, with both men feared dead. (AFP)
Officials said they hoped to reach the site on Saturday morning.
The sprawling Indonesian archipelago relies heavily on air transport and has a poor aviation safety record. Turbulent weather conditions in Papua have caused several accidents in recent years. -By Romeo Gacad
Category: Society
