BeritaSatu, Jayapura. A small plane with six people onboard crashed in Yalimo Regency in the eastern province of Papua on Friday and it's feared there is no survivor.
The debris of the plane belonging to Semuwa Air was located in the afternoon and "it will be a miracle if there is any survivor from the accident", a company representative said in the provincial capital Jayapura.
Smoke was still rising from the wreckage of the Grand Caravan plane when the search and rescue team arrived at the scene in the middle of the jungle in Yalimo, according to Semuwa Air director who introduced himself only as Wisnu.
The company will deploy a helicopter to evacuate the victims, including Pilot Heri Permadi, Copilot Levi Telenggen, and four passengers whose identities aren't disclosed, Wisnu said.
"The crash site has been located by the SAR team but evacuation cannot immediately be carried out due to the foggy environment. The evacuation will resume tomorrow," he said.
"Judging by the footage from the scene, we can only hope for a miracle," Wisnu said of the fate of the people onboard the ill-fated plane.
He also claimed that the plane has been certified as airworthy. "Regarding the cause of the crash, we are waiting for results from the investigation but it's most likely the weather factor," he said.
The plane departed from an airport in Elelim district at 10:53 Eastern Indonesia Time (1:53 GMT on Friday) heading to the nearby district of Poik. Airport authorities lost contact with the plane only seven minutes after takeoff.