Khaberni - Indonesian authorities are conducting a search operation for a plane that was carrying three government employees and seven crew members after losing contact with it, as officials announced on Saturday.
Rescue teams reported that the plane, operated by "Indonesia Air Transport," had departed from Yogyakarta and was headed to the city of Makassar on the island of Sulawesi.
The Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, explained during a press conference that three employees from his ministry were on board the plane on a mission to conduct aerial surveillance of the area’s resources.
The airline mentioned that seven of the crew members were also on board. Contact with the plane was lost shortly after 13:00 (06:00 GMT).
Mohammad Arif Anwar, the head of the local search and rescue agency, told AFP that teams had been deployed to a mountainous area in Maros district adjacent to Makassar, near the last known location of the airplane.
He added that the search efforts by land and air involve the air force, police, and volunteers.
Andy Sultan, the head of operations at the search and rescue agency in Makassar, stated that helicopters and drones are being used to locate the airplane.
The French company "ATR," which manufactured the airplane, announced that it had been informed of an "incident" involving one of its planes.
The company stated in a press release that "ATR experts are fully engaged in supporting the investigation led by the Indonesian authorities and the operator."
Indonesia, the vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, largely relies on air transport to connect thousands of its islands.
However, the country has a poor record concerning aviation safety, with several fatal accidents occurring in recent years.
