One killed in helicopter accident
JAKARTA (JP): A helicopter chartered by ARCO Indonesia crashed on Wednesday off the coast of West Java, killing at least one passenger.
A spokesman for state oil and gas company Pertamina, Toto Suparto, told The Jakarta Post that three other people on board the aircraft owned by PT Derazona were missing. They were identified as Derazona captain Edward Tampubolon, a Pertamina physician attached to ARCO, Asri Basyir, and Derazona's load master Datok.
The Bell 206 was chartered by ARCO, a subsidiary of U.S. oil and gas giant Atlantic Richfield Company, for routine operations.
According to Toto, the helicopter crashed into the sea during its flight from the Foxtrot platform to the BCS platform in the Arjuna offshore field, about 100 kilometers north of Jakarta, at about 10 a.m.
"The cause of the crash remains a mystery," Toto said. He added that part of the helicopter was found a couple of hours after the crash.
The dead man was identified as Bambang Suharto, an ARCO security guard. His body was discovered at about 10:48 a.m. and immediately transported to Jakarta.
Toto said a search and rescue team using two helicopters and two boats continued operations until 3:30 p.m.
He said Asri was scheduled to perform routine medical checkups on employees at the field.
Tanjung-Priok's marine police unit announced on Wednesday that two officers routinely assigned near the site of the accident were ordered to assist the search and rescue team in searching for the remaining missing.
"Police and the SAR team have coordinated to wait for the victims at Marunda Port," First Sgt. Lee Supardi said.
Bambang's body arrived at 2 p.m. at Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central Jakarta.
His second wife, Mona Gampas, also was seen at the hospital in the evening after flying from the East Java capital of Surabaya, where she lives with her 12-year-old child.
ARCO personnel surrounded Mona and prevented her from speaking to reporters.
"We don't want any confusing versions of this accident," said one of the employees.
Amalia, one of the four children of Bambang's first wife, also rushed to the hospital.
According to relatives, the retired marine spent two weeks at the offshore platform per month.
Bambang's body, dressed in jeans, T-shirt and jacket, was saturated and bloodied from the crash.
Relatives said Bambang would be buried in Surabaya.
ARCO, the country's largest gas supplier on the domestic market, has been operating in the country for 30 years. It is currently involved in 10 production sharing contracts, of which three are productive blocks off northwest Java, East Java and Kalimantan.
It accounts for 40 percent of the natural gas needs for power plants on Java. (jsk/emf/01)