Presidential Spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said on the sidelines of the 18th ASEAN Summit here on Saturday evening that the head of state had received a report on the crash of the turbo-prop airplane about 400 meters from Kaimana airport.
"Take immediate safety measures and evacuate the victims," the presidential spokesman quoted the president as saying.
He said that the president had not yet made a follow-up instruction, though investigations would surely be carried out later on the causes of the crash.
In the meantime, the Transportation Ministry has confirmed that a Merpati Airlines` MA-60 turbo-prop aircraft has crashed into Kaimana district, West Papua province, on Saturday, most likely killing 27 people aboard, including its pilot and co-pilot.
"The plane crashed as it was trying to make an emergency landing due to bad weather," Head of Public Communication Center of the Ministry of Transportation Bambang S Ervan said here on Saturday.
He said the ill-fated airplane was flying the Sorong-Kaimana route, carrying 18 passengers, two children and one infant. It also included the pilot, co-pilot and two technicians on board.
"The plane`s crew consisted of a pilot, a co-pilot and two engineers but it is unclear how many flight attendances there were," he added
"The plane was trying to make an emergency landing as it was experiencing bad whether," Bambang said.
The MA-60 aircraft which was flying from Sorong to Kaimana, West Papua, crashed about 400 meters away from Kaimana airport.
The plane went down from an altitude of 15,000 feet and sank into the sea.(*)
(A014/HAJM/H-YH)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
