No survivors in Bouraq plane crash

JAKARTA (JP): All 10 people on board the Bouraq HS 748 plane that crashed into a mountain in Irian Jaya last week were found dead by search and rescue workers yesterday.

An official at Bouraq's central office in Jakarta confirmed their deaths.

"Yes, that's right they are all dead," Udin told The Jakarta Post.

He said that attempts to evacuate the bodies had been temporarily suspended due to the bad weather which has been complicating has the rescue mission all week long.

"Efforts will continue again tomorrow (Wednesday)," he said.

The ill-fated plane, on a PT Istana Samudera Indonesia charter flight from Tual on the island of Kual Kecil to Kaimama in Fakfak, Irian Jaya, went missing on Wednesday.

Despite exhaustive efforts, the plane's wreckage was not located until Sunday evening.

The plane was found with its nose lodged in the side of the 2,800-feet high Kumawa mountain. With the fuselage still intact, there were initial hopes that some may have survived the crash. After further inspection late Monday evening, however, rescue teams confirmed that all the 10 passengers and crew members had been killed.

On board the chartered plane, which belonged to Bali Air, a Bouraq subsidiary, were Captains Herizal Mahmud, A. Mualis and Faturachman, stewardesses Poppy and Emilia, technician Hakim and passengers Harli Octavianus, H. Halim, Hartadi, and Febby Samuel, the director of PT Istana Samudera Indonesia.

As reported by Antara from Jayapura, rescue teams have also cleared a helicopter landing pad on nearby Adi island to help vacate the bodies.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto has also arrived at Kaimana airport to help facilitate and supervise the evacuation process.

According to initial reports all the bodies were found either inside or just outside the wreckage of the plane.

Upon evacuation, the bodies will be taken to the Freeport hospital in Tembagapura before being transferred to their families. (mds)