Jakarta: An Indonesian military helicopter with 12 people on board lostcontact with air traffic control Friday just minutes after takeoff, anofficial said.
The Mi-17 chopper was en route from Oksibil, in easternmost Papua provinceto Sentani, also in Papua.
All passengers on board were military crew and the aircraft was carryinglogistical supplies, Papua military spokesman Muhammad Aidi said.
It took off at 11:44 am Friday local time and was supposed to land inSentani 1.5 hours later.
“The plane originally took off in Okbibab district, but it had to refuel inOksibil,” Aidi said.
The weather was reported to be good at the time of takeoff but routes inthe rugged area are subject to rapid and extreme weather changes.
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Search and rescue teams have been deployed to look for the chopper.
Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands ofislands, but mountainous Papua is a particularly difficult area to reach.
Last August, eight people died when a Swiss-made Pilatus aircraft crashedon a forested mountainside in Papua. A 12-year-old boy was the solesurvivor. -APP/AFP
