News Digest

Rescuers race into the mountains in search of Indonesia plane wreckage

Rescuers raced into remote eastern Indonesian mountains on Monday to reach debris believed to be from a plane that crashed carrying 54 people and cash worth almost $500,000. They headed to the scene where a search plane spotted debris engulfed in smoke near Oksibil and villagers had reported seeing the plane crash into a mountain on Sunday. The team of rescuers, including troops and police, were heading to the area on foot but will have to battle through dense forest to reach the remote site, which is at an altitude of about 8,500 feet (2,600m). "The area is steep and is covered by dense forests… there is no road, no access at all,“ said Papua military spokesman Teguh Pudji Rahardjo.

My family and I have been gathered here for hours. We want to know the fate of my brother, Kepi Deal, who was on board the plane. We want to know whether he is dead or alive

Rifan Wea

The plane operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana Air lost contact with air traffic control on Sunday afternoon in bad weather on a short flight from Jayapura, the capital of Papua province. The ATR 42-300 twin-turboprop plane was carrying 49 passengers and five crew on the journey to Oksibil, a remote settlement in the mountains to the south of Jayapura. Also on the plane was 6.5 billion rupiah ($470,000) in cash, which were government funds being transported by postal officials for distribution to poor families. But the plane disappeared about 10 minutes before reaching its destination, soon after requesting permission to start descending in heavy cloud to land. Meanwhile, relatives of passengers were becoming increasingly frustrated at the lack of hard news, with some shouting "We want confirmation!” and throwing a table at a crisis centre set up by Trigana Air at Jayapura airport.