Makassar, S Sulawesi (Antara Bali) - As many as ten bodies of the victims of the crashed Aviastar aircraft, which were evacuated by a joint team of rescuers in South Sulawesi Province on Tuesday, arrived at the Hasanuddin airport in Maros.
Five of the ten bodies, brought by a helicopter of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), arrived in advance at the airport, while another five bodies were brought by a helicopter belonging to the military (TNI), Antara learned here on Tuesday.
All the bodies were then placed in coffins and handed over by Basarnas officials to the regional police headquarters.
The bodies were subsequently rushed to Bhayangkara hospital for identification process.
The ill-fated Twin Otter aircraft belonging to Aviastar airline and bearing registration number DHC6/PKBRM, was discovered as having crashed on Monday in Gamaru hamlet, Ulu Salu village, Enrekang Sub-district, South Sulawesi at 05.00 p.m. WITA.
The aircraft had lost contact while it was on its way from Masamba to Makassar, South Sulawesi, at 2:36 p.m. Central Indonesia Time (WITA), on Friday.
The chief of the West Sulawesi regional police command, Inspector General Pudji Hartanto Iskandar, confirmed here on Monday that the plane had crashed in Bukit Pajaja in the village of Ulusalu, Luwu district in Latimojong hills, and that its debris has been discovered.
"I have received information from the Luwu resort police chief that the plane has been discovered and I have reported it to the chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas)," he said.
He said the crashed plane was discovered by the Luwu resort police chief, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Adex Yudiswan, along with local villagers and an SAR team.
Yudiswan said he could confirm that all seven passengers and three crew members on board died in the crash.
The plane lost contact at 14:36 Central Indonesia Time, 11 minutes after take-off from Andi Jemma airport in Masamba in West Sulawesi and was headed for Makassar in South Sulawesi, which would have taken 70 minutes of flying time.
The plane was being piloted by Iri Afriadi with Yudhistira as co-pilot and Sukris as technician at the time of the crash.
Seven passengers on the plane included four adults, a child and two infants. The passengers were identified as Nurul Fatimah, Lisa Falentin, Riza Arman, Sakhi Arqam, M Natsir, Afif (one year old baby) and Raya Adawiah (three year old child).(WDY)
