The Timika Search and Rescue (SAR) Office Head, George Mercy L. Randang, stated that airline officials will then take charge of the three victims' bodies and will hand them over to the respective families once the identification process is completed at the hospital.
The victims have been identified as Mirza, the pilot; Fajar, the co-pilot; and Iswahyudi, the flight engineer, and all were reported to be in recognisable conditions that would simplify the identification process, he noted.
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The SAR Office confirmed the successful retrieval of the aircraft's black box after being discovered at the accident site on Wednesday night. The black boxes along with six SAR rescuers are expected to arrive in Timika before Thursday noon.
"Last night, the joint SAR team had retrieved the aircraft's black boxes located in the aircraft tail. The SAR team along with the black boxes returned to the Sugapa base and is expected to deliver them to Timika on Thursday. Upon arrival in Timika, the black boxes would be secured at the Timika SAR Office or at an air force base while awaiting the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) team's arrival to Timika," Randang informed.
Randang also expressed gratitude to all members of the joint SAR team and other parties who assisted the team to locate the PK-OTW Rimbun Air crash site and retrieve the victims' bodies.
"Representing the SAR Office, I express our gratitude to all parties that contributed to the evacuation operation until the successful retrieval of the victims' bodies and being moved to Timika," he stated. (
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Translator: Evarianus Supar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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