Six missing in chopper crash

SAMARINDA, East Kalimantan: One man died and six are missing after a chopper crashed off the provincial coast on Saturday morning.

As of Sunday, a joint team of the East Kalimantan coast guard and Air Force, mobile brigade unit and Bontang subdistrict administration continued the search for the missing. They were identified as Mainuddin, Jufri, Amir Hamzah, Laurensius, Munadi and Devi Irawan.

The team rescued six survivors. However, the pilot, identified as Prabowo, 48, was found dead, a source from the Bontang Police told Antara.

Survivors were co-pilot Edy Eko, 46, Jefry A. Carlos, 28, Armansyah, 19, Tumpa Edward, 26, and Simon, 36. They are being treated at a Bontang hospital.

Antara quoted police sources as saying the Bell helicopter bearing registration number 412 crashed after its propeller malfunctioned.

The helicopter was flying from Tanjungsantan subdistrict, north of here, to Balikpapan.