23-6-2023 (JAKARTA) Tragedy struck on Friday as a small plane carrying six individuals crashed in the eastern Highland Papua province of Indonesia. According to an official statement, the Grand Caravan aircraft, operated by PT Samuwa Aviasi Mandiri (SAM AIR), went down in a remote forest area after departing from Elelim airport in the Yalimo district. Yusuf Latief, the spokesperson for the national search and rescue office, provided these details.
“The wreckage of the plane has been located through an aerial search,” Latief confirmed. Video footage received from the search and rescue office depicted the debris of the aircraft nestled within the dense forest, emitting smoke.
Tim SAR gabungan telah menemukan lokasi pesawat Semuwa Aviasi Mandiri (SAM) Air yang sempat dilaporkan hilang kontak.
Pesawat dengan nomor penerbangan PK-SMW ini ditemukan di tengah hutan belantara antara Elelim-Poik, rute penerbangan pesawat ini.
| Narasi Daily pic.twitter.com/gjYBUXfyQM
— Narasi Newsroom (@NarasiNewsroom) June 23, 2023
As of now, rescue teams have not yet reached the crash site. Latief explained that the evacuation operation is scheduled to commence tomorrow, Saturday. “The wreckage was spotted from the air, but our team has not physically reached the scene. We plan to initiate the evacuation efforts tomorrow,” he relayed during a phone interview with Xinhua news agency.
The passengers on board the ill-fated flight consisted of one pilot, one crew member, and four passengers. The aircraft lost communication earlier in the morning, heightening concerns about the fate of those on board.
