All eight people on board killed in Indonesia helicopter crash – What we know

All eight people on board killed in Indonesia helicopter crash

A helicopter crashed in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, killing all eight people on board, the authorities said on Friday (Apr 17). The Airbus H130 was flying between palm oil plantations on Borneo Island when it lost contact on Thursday shortly after taking off from Melawi district. It was on its way to another palm oil plantation in the Kubu Raya district. Following a search operation, the wreckage was located in the dense forests in Sekadau district, and the bodies of the two crew members and six passengers were recovered, the National Search and Rescue Agency and the Transportation Ministry said. One of those who lost their lives was a Malaysian.

“The location of the ​crash or loss of contact is in a densely forested area with steep hilly terrain,” said Mohammad Syafii, the head ​of Indonesia’s rescue agency. He added that the helicopter ​lost contact on Thursday morning, five minutes ​after taking off. The rescuers found debris suspected to be the tail of the helicopter approximately 3 ‌km (2 ⁠miles) west of where it lost contact.

“Eight passengers have been found; all were deceased,” said Sekadau police Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit Zainal Abidin, local media reported. He added that all eight bodies have been transported to Pontianak.

The cause of the crash is not known yet, the authorities said. Meanwhile, the rescuers, including ​police and military personnel, were trying to reach the site of the crash via land routes on Friday. The plantation area where the helicopter crashed is owned by an Indonesian ​palm oil company, Citra Mahkota. The helicopter was owned by PT Matthew Air Nusantara, Syafii said.

Home to about 270 million people, the sprawling archipelago of Indonesia has witnessed several transportation accidents, including plane and helicopter crashes and ferry sinkings.