Small passenger plane crashes in Indonesia’s Papua

JAKARTA - A small plane with four passengers and two crew on board crashed into a mountainous terrain in Yalimo district, Papua, local media reported Friday.

Search and rescue team’s helicopter had physically located the plane crash site at around 4pm western Indonesia time.

However, there has been no information on the casualties, as local authorities will start the evacuation process tomorrow.

The Cessna 208 Caravan plane took off from Elelim Airport in Papua Province at 10.53 am and was expected to land in Poik at 11.06 am.

The flight, operated by Semuwa Aviasi Mandiri (SAM) Air, lost contact with the control tower several minutes after take-off.

Visual of the crashed plane has gone viral on social media, showing a pillar of smoke rising from the wreckage. - BERNAMA