Bad weather hinders Papua plane search
Bad weather hinders Papua plane search
Nethy Dharma Somba, The Jakarta Post, Jayapura
Rescuers continued their search by air and water on Wednesday for
a Twin Otter plane operated by GT Air that went missing with 17
people on board in the mountains of Papua on Tuesday.
Three aircraft began the search at 6 a.m. (4 a.m. Jakarta
time), but were unable to locate the missing aircraft operated by
GT Air, a regional airline owned by PT Mimika Air, which is
partly owned by the local administration. The plane went missing
on a flight from Timika to Enarotali, the capital of Paniai
regency.
The head of Timika airport, Maj. Yayok Endari Sunar, who is
heading the search and rescue mission, told The Jakarta Post the
three aircraft involved in the search were a Mission Aviation
Fellowship aircraft, an Air Fast helicopter and a small AMA
Jayapura aircraft.
"The aircraft made five passes at intervals of between two and
three hours," he said.
The AMA aircraft, he said, was equipped with electronic
sensors that could detect radio waves from the missing GT Air
aircraft.
"But there has still been no sign (of the missing aircraft),"
Yayok said.
The air search had to be called off about noon because of bad
weather around Enarotali. "We will continue the search tomorrow
morning with the same teams," he said.
The search also was conducted by water, with a team following
the course of the Iwaka River, which flows through Mimika and
Paniai regencies.
"Seven personnel, two from Mimika's search and rescue agency
and five members of Papua's Brimob police force, conducted the
search along the river using a boat," Yayok said.
The team, he said, would speak with tribal heads in Enarotali
and the surrounding areas, as well as contacting police stations
to carry out searches in their respective areas.
Heavy rain and a thick haze around Enarotali hampered the
search efforts.
"The bad weather makes it hard to search. We have people ready
to continue the search as soon as the weather improves," Paniai
Police chief Sr. Adj. Comr. Anthonius Diance told the Post from
Enarotali.
Meanwhile, the head of insurance company PT Jasa Raharja in
Papua, Usman Siahaan, said in Jayapura that all GT Air crew and
passengers were insured. He said the company would pay out claims
in the worst-case scenario.
"We hope everything is OK, but if the worst happens we are
ready to pay the insurance claims," he said.
He said the families of the dead and permanently disabled
would receive Rp 50 million (US$5,555) each, while anyone injured
would receive Rp 25 million.
In Manado, North Sulawesi, a DASH 8 aircraft operated by Wings
Air skidded upon landing at Sam Ratulangi airport on Tuesday.
None of the 32 passengers and crew aboard the plane, which was
traveling from Ternate, were injured in the incident. The
aircraft did not suffer any serious damage and has been moved to
a safe area at the airport.