Bright weather in Sentani and Oksibil from morning to noon Monday (July 8) allows for intensive air searches from morning to noon
Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA) - Five sorties were conducted for the MI-17 helicopter belonging to the Indonesian Army which went missing on June 28, 2019, after taking off from Oksibil Airport, Pegunungan Bintang District, the Cenderawasih military command stated. Deputy Head of the Cendrawasih military command's information section, Lt. Col. Inf Dax Sianturi said here Monday that Helly Bell 412 with registration number HA-5177 flew from Oksibil Airport with two sorties covering an area in the Pegunungan Bintang District, with each flight lasting nearly 90 minutes. This is day 11 since the army helicopter went missing.

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"Then a Heli AS 350 PK-DAP flew from Oksibil Airport for one sortie covering an area in the Pegunungan Bintang District for 90 minutes," he said.

Another Helly Bell 412 Registration Number HA 5185 flew from the Silas Papare Airport for one sortie to conduct a search of an area in the Sentani-Lereh-Senggi-Airu-Sentani, Jayapura District, according to him.

"The last CN 235 MPA aircraft carried out one sortie with the search route of Sentani-Oksibil-Sentani with a flight duration of two hours and 30 minutes," he said.

Even though the search could run intensively, until Monday, July 8, at 16:00 local time, the search results from both, the air and land, had not found any signs of the MI 17 with a registration number HA 5138.

"Bright weather in Sentani and Oksibil from morning to noon Monday (July 8) allows for intensive air searches from morning to noon," he said.

The air search Monday involved two Bell 412 helicopters belonging to the Army, one US 350 helicopter assisted by civil aviation and one CN 235 MPA unit belonging to the Indonesian Air Force, he added. (INE)

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Translator: Hendrina D Kandipi/Bambang Pur
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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