“Brimob and Samapta personnel have joined ground SAR teams combing the mountainous area believed to be the crash site,” South Kalimantan Police Chief Inspector General Rosyanto Yudha Hermawan said here on Tuesday.
He reaffirmed the police’s commitment to fully assist Banjarmasin SAR Office (Basarnas) in the search operation.
“All SAR personnel and equipment owned by Polda Kalsel are ready to be deployed according to field requirements,” Yudha said. “Movements in the field are under Basarnas’ command, and we will provide full support as needed.”
The police chief, together with local government leaders, had planned to fly to the area Tuesday afternoon using a helicopter on standby at Syamsudin Noor Airport in Banjarbaru.
However, the plan was canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions reported by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
“Rain and thick clouds in the mountainous area suspected to be the crash site make it unsafe for the air SAR team to fly,” Yudha explained.
The BK117 D3 helicopter operated by Eastindo Air, carrying eight people including the pilot, lost contact on Monday morning while flying over Mentewe, Tanah Bumbu District.
The aircraft was on a route from Kotabaru, South Kalimantan, to Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, with eight people on board: pilot Capt. Haryanto, engineer Eng Hendra, and passengers Mark Werren, Yudi Febrian, Andys Rissa Pasulu, Santha Kumar, Claudine Quito and Iboy Irfan Rosa.
Related news: Helicopter seen smoking before crash in South Kalimantan: SAR
Translator: Primayanti
Editor: Arie Novarina
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