Bad weather hinders Papua plane search<\/p>\n
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura<\/p>\n
Rescuers continued their search by air and water on Wednesday for
\na Twin Otter plane operated by GT Air that went missing with 17
\npeople on board in the mountains of Papua on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Three aircraft began the search at 6 a.m. (4 a.m. Jakarta
\ntime), but were unable to locate the missing aircraft operated by
\nGT Air, a regional airline owned by PT Mimika Air, which is
\npartly owned by the local administration. The plane went missing
\non a flight from Timika to Enarotali, the capital of Paniai
\nregency.<\/p>\n
The head of Timika airport, Maj. Yayok Endari Sunar, who is
\nheading the search and rescue mission, told The Jakarta Post the
\nthree aircraft involved in the search were a Mission Aviation
\nFellowship aircraft, an Air Fast helicopter and a small AMA
\nJayapura aircraft.<\/p>\n
\"The aircraft made five passes at intervals of between two and
\nthree hours,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The AMA aircraft, he said, was equipped with electronic
\nsensors that could detect radio waves from the missing GT Air
\naircraft.<\/p>\n
\"But there has still been no sign (of the missing aircraft),\"
\nYayok said.<\/p>\n
The air search had to be called off about noon because of bad
\nweather around Enarotali. \"We will continue the search tomorrow
\nmorning with the same teams,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The search also was conducted by water, with a team following
\nthe course of the Iwaka River, which flows through Mimika and
\nPaniai regencies.<\/p>\n
\"Seven personnel, two from Mimika's search and rescue agency
\nand five members of Papua's Brimob police force, conducted the
\nsearch along the river using a boat,\" Yayok said.<\/p>\n
The team, he said, would speak with tribal heads in Enarotali
\nand the surrounding areas, as well as contacting police stations
\nto carry out searches in their respective areas.<\/p>\n
Heavy rain and a thick haze around Enarotali hampered the
\nsearch efforts.<\/p>\n
\"The bad weather makes it hard to search. We have people ready
\nto continue the search as soon as the weather improves,\" Paniai
\nPolice chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Anthonius Diance told the Post from
\nEnarotali.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the head of insurance company PT Jasa Raharja in
\nPapua, Usman Siahaan, said in Jayapura that all GT Air crew and
\npassengers were insured. He said the company would pay out claims
\nin the worst-case scenario.<\/p>\n
\"We hope everything is OK, but if the worst happens we are
\nready to pay the insurance claims,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the families of the dead and permanently disabled
\nwould receive Rp 50 million (US$5,555) each, while anyone injured
\nwould receive Rp 25 million.<\/p>\n
In Manado, North Sulawesi, a DASH 8 aircraft operated by Wings
\nAir skidded upon landing at Sam Ratulangi airport on Tuesday.
\nNone of the 32 passengers and crew aboard the plane, which was
\ntraveling from Ternate, were injured in the incident. The
\naircraft did not suffer any serious damage and has been moved to
\na safe area at the airport.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bad-weather-hinders-papua-plane-search-1447893297",
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