A helicopter fell into a dense forest just minutes after takeoff, killing eight people on board.
The plane disappeared from radar five minutes into its journey over Borneo’s vast palm oil plantations on Thursday.
It had set off from the Melawi district of West Kalimantan province and was headed to another remote plantation in Kubu Raya when disaster struck.
Search teams later made serious searches in dense forest in the Sekadou district, where debris was found lying among the trees.
National Search and Rescue Agency and Transport Ministry officials confirmed that all eight victims – including two crew members and six passengers – were recovered from the crash site.
A Malaysian citizen is also among the dead.
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The Airbus H130 was being operated by its owner PT Mathew Air Nusantara.
The cause of the accident is not yet known.
Indonesia is a vast archipelago home to approximately 270 million people.
It has long been plagued by deadly transportation disasters.
Plane crashes, helicopter crashes and boat sinkings are sadly common.
This came as panic once again struck the skies of Indonesia as another plane suddenly disappeared – just moments after locals reported hearing a frightening explosion.
The ATR 42-500 lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff, and disappeared from radar just 12 miles away while flying over South Sulawesi.
The plane took off from Yogyakarta in January and was en route to Makassar when it disappeared into thin air.
Flight tracking data captured the terrifying moment the plane dropped out of the system – sparking immediate fears of disaster.
Horrified locals in the area said they heard a strange sound “like burning material” – before a massive explosion erupted in the sky.
The missing plane is believed to have had 11 people on board, including three passengers and eight crew members, when it lost contact.
A major search and rescue operation was launched, with teams working hard to locate the debris and any possible survivors.
Authorities deployed at least three search teams, comprising about 60 personnel, combing the rugged terrain.
Many more to follow… Keep checking back with The Sun Online for the latest news on this story
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