Mon, 01 Jul 2002

Two survive chopper accident in Papua

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two out of five military officers aboard a missing military helicopter in remote Paniai regency in Timika, Irian Jaya province, were found alive on Sunday, after they had managed to reach the nearest settlement, Kobae village, a two-hour walk from the crash site, Antara reported.

The spokesman for Trikora Reginal Military Command, which oversees the province, Maj. G.P. Situmorang, said the two -- First Lt. Ikhwan and First Lt. Tedy -- were suffering serious injuries, while the fate of the other three Army officers, including the Army's Bell BO-205 helicopter remained unclear.

"Since losing contact with the helicopter, we have been searching for the passengers and the exact crash site.

"But, we have yet to detect the precise location," Situmorang said, adding the Army, along with National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), would continue the search on Monday.

The missing officers are the pilot, First Lt. Yadi, mechanic Sgt. Marsito and Chief Sgt. Keman.

Timika is the homebase of PT Freeport Indonesia, an American copper and gold mining company.

As reported, the missing Bell helicopter, carrying five military officers, took off from Timika on Saturday and headed for Eranotali in Paniai regency. Twenty minutes after takeoff, air traffic control in Timika reported it had lost contact with the helicopter.

Meanwhile, AFP, quoting an unnamed officer at an airbase in Timika, reported four victims had been found alive. The news agency also said the wreckage of the helicopter was found and that the four survivors had been taken to a nearby village.

A military rescue team was also sent by helicopter to the crash site on Sunday but due to bad weather it had been unable to land.

Last year, an Army helicopter also crashed in a remote jungle area, near to the provincial capital of Jayapura. The bodies of all of the fatalities, including former Trikora military commanders Maj. Gen. Tonny Rompies and other senior officials of the provincial administration were found days after the incident.