Remains of 54 passengers in Indonesian plane crash found
INDONESIAN rescuers have recovered the remains of 54 people who died onboard a Trigana Air plane that crashed in Papua region on Sunday.
The head of the search and rescue agency said his team had found the aircraft completely destroyed and partially burnt. The black box flight data recorder has also been found.
The plane came down on Sunday in dense forest in a mountainous area, close to its destination of Oksibil. It was carrying 44 adult passengers, five children, and five crew-members – all believed to be Indonesians.
The plane was also said to be carrying about 6.5 billion rupiah ($486,000; £300,000) in cash, which was due to be distributed to poor families in the area. Officials have not said whether this has been located.
Members of the rescue team – made up of about 100 police, military and civilians – began reaching the site yesterday morning.
Head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Bambang Soelistyo, told reporters: “The plane was totally destroyed and all the bodies were burned and difficult to identify.”
Bad weather and difficult terrain at the crash site were hampering efforts to remove the bodies but they will eventually be taken to the provincial capital for identification.
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