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Indonesian airlines wreckage spotted, no word on survivors

The plane had gone missing after a reported crash in Indonesia's mountainous eastern province Papua, amid bad weather

BS Web Team New Delhi

Search teams on Monday spotted the wreckage of an Indonesian passenger plane which had earlier been declared missing with 54 people on board -- 49 passengers and five crew members. There are no reports yet on bodies or survivors.

The plane had gone missing after a reported crash in Indonesia's mountainous eastern province Papua, amid bad weather. The plane was flying from Jayapura to Oksibil, both located within Papua, when it lost contact with Oksibil's airport.

According to a report on Firstpost.com, Indonesian transformation ministry spokesman Julius Barata said there was no indication that the pilot had made a distress call.

 

Officials said the wreckage was spotted about 12 kilometers from Oksibil, and Henry Bambang Soelistyo, the chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said search and rescue teams were preparing to reach the crash site by air and on foot.

Five children, including two infants, were among the passengers, the report said.

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First Published: Aug 17 2015 | 3:20 PM IST

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