KUALA LUMPUR – A cargo plane in Indonesia was reported to have lost contact this morning after taking off from Juwata Tarakan International Airport, North Kalimantan.
The plane departed from Tarakan airport at 8.25am local time heading to an airstrip in Binuang village, in the Krayan subdistrict of the Nunukan province, CNN Indonesia reported.
The plane was supposed to have landed in Binuang at 9.25am today, said police chief for South and Central Krayan Ipda Andi Irwan.
According to recent updates, authorities have mounted a search-and-rescue operation for the aircraft.
The aircraft was piloted by captain M. Yusuf, accompanied by engineer Deni S, and was reported to be carrying a total payload of 583kg.
Investigations into the loss of the aircraft are still ongoing.
Ipda Andi said that the Pilatus PC-6 type aircraft was transporting essential subsidised food items from Tarakan.
“As of now, the plane is still missing,” he added.
In the latest development, Ipda Andi said that he received information from residents near the location that they heard a loud explosion on the mountain cliff in the Krayan Tengah region at around 10am local time.
“Residents farming around the incident location heard the sound of an explosion on the mountain cliff,” he said.
As a result, Andi mentioned that a police team from South Krayan was being deployed to the incident location. – March 8, 2024