A cargo plane with four crew members on board has been reported missing in Indonesia. Officials said the aircraft went off the radar in the mountainous region of its easternmost province of Papua, AFP reported.
According to the Transport Ministry, the Caribou plane lost contact with air traffic control during what was supposed to be a 30-minute flight. It was operated by logistics and transport company Alfa Trans but owned by local authorities. A search has been launched to locate the flight, the ministry said.
The aircraft had taken off from Timika city at 7.57 am (local time) and was heading to Ilaga, a farming valley in Papua. The flight had contacted air traffic control in Ilaga at 8.23 am to say that it was due to land soon, but it never arrived. It had sent out an emergency signal from a region between two mountain passes, according to officials.
Indonesia has a poor record in aviation safety. Bad weather and the mountainous terrain of Papua also makes the region difficult to fly in.
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