The debris was found on the peak of Mount Bulusaraung in Pangkep District, South Sulawesi, during a search operation on Sunday morning.
Basarnas Deputy for Operations and Preparedness Edy Prakoso said the search area has been divided into four zones, with land-based Search and Rescue Units (SRU) deployed to each zone to speed up operations in the mountainous terrain.
“The operation is currently focused on searching for victims,” Prakoso said on Sunday.
The search and rescue (SAR) operation involves 376 joint personnel from Basarnas, the National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and other SAR volunteers.
The team is working across rugged karst terrain at an elevation of approximately 1,200 meters above sea level, facing rapidly changing weather conditions.
The ATR 42-500 aircraft was found on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after it was reported missing by aviation authorities in South Sulawesi.
Initial indications of the aircraft’s location were detected at about 7:17 a.m Central Indonesia Time (WITA) after an air patrol spotted white debris in the Mount Bulusaraung area.
Ground teams confirmed the discovery of aircraft fragments on the northern side of the peak at approximately 8:02 a.m. WITA, followed by the finding of the fuselage at around 8:09 a.m. WITA.
The ATR aircraft was reported missing while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar, South Sulawesi, at around 1:17 p.m. on Saturday (Jan 17). According to the flight manifest, the aircraft was carrying 11 people, including the crew.
Related news: S. Sulawesi police readies DVI team to identify ATR plane victims
Related news: UPDATE - Indonesia SAR finds debris from missing ATR flight
Translator: M Riezko, Raka Adji
Editor: Primayanti
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