BY ROSEMARY
Indonesian search and rescue teams were racing against time on Saturday to locate a fisheries surveillance aircraft that went missing with 11 people on board during a domestic flight, prompting a large-scale operation involving hundreds of personnel across rugged terrain in South Sulawesi.
The ATR 42-500 turboprop aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, lost contact with air traffic controllers at around 1:30 p.m. local time while flying over the Maros area of South Sulawesi province, according to officials from the local search and rescue agency. The aircraft had been en route to Makassar, the provincial capital, after departing from Yogyakarta earlier in the day.
Authorities said the plane was carrying eight crew members and three passengers at the time contact was lost. The three passengers were confirmed to be staff from Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, who were conducting aerial surveillance as part of routine fisheries monitoring operations.
About 400 rescue workers, including personnel from the military, police, and local disaster response agencies, were deployed to search for the aircraft and its occupants. The effort has been complicated by poor weather conditions, including heavy rain, low visibility, and challenging mountainous terrain.
Search teams have focused their efforts near Mount Bulusaraung, a steep and forested peak north of Makassar, where officials believe the aircraft may have gone down. Rescue personnel were dispatched to the area on foot and by air, though access has been difficult due to the region’s geography.
Officials declined to speculate on the cause of the disappearance, saying it was too early to draw conclusions. Aviation authorities said they would begin a full investigation once the aircraft or its wreckage is located.
The aircraft had been chartered by the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for surveillance work aimed at monitoring fishing activity in Indonesian waters, a task that often requires low-altitude flying over remote regions. The ministry confirmed the mission and said it was coordinating closely with rescue agencies and the airline.
The ATR 42-500 is a twin-engine regional turboprop aircraft commonly used for short-haul flights and special missions. It typically carries between 42 and 50 passengers in commercial service and is widely operated in Indonesia, a vast archipelago where air travel is critical for connectivity.
Unconfirmed flight-tracking data indicated that an aircraft matching the plane’s description had been flying eastward at an altitude of around 11,000 feet before experiencing a rapid loss of altitude and disappearing from tracking systems. Authorities cautioned that such data is preliminary and cannot be relied upon to determine what happened.
The aircraft’s manufacturer, Franco-Italian plane maker ATR, said it had been informed of the incident and was in contact with Indonesian authorities. The company said it was prepared to provide technical assistance and specialist support as local investigators begin examining the circumstances surrounding the disappearance.
Indonesia has experienced several aviation incidents in recent decades, often attributed to challenging weather, difficult terrain, and the operational demands of flying across thousands of islands. Aviation safety has improved in recent years, but accidents and near-misses continue to draw scrutiny.
As night fell on Saturday, rescue teams said operations would continue as conditions allowed, with the priority remaining the location of the aircraft and the fate of those on board. Families of the crew and passengers were being informed and supported by authorities as the search continued.
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