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.