Chief of the Bitung police resort Adj. Snr. Comr. Satake Bayu said he had sent his men to locate the crash site.
"Our men, along with SAR team have already left for the scene," he said.
The helicopter hired by mining company Nusa Halmahera Mineral (NHM) in North Maluku province was believed to have crashed while on its way from Sam Ratulangi airport to Gosowong.
The helicopter had last contact with ground crew members at 02.31 eastern Indonesian time.
"Since then, ground crew members have lost contact with the helicopter," a source said.
The management of PT NHM said they would keep abreast of developments in the search of ill-fated helicopter and inform the relatives of the eight passengers about the developments.
Meanwhile, a SAR team in North Sulawesi`s provincial capital of Manado, along with police and military personnel were still trying to locate the crash site.
Mount Dua Saudara which is located 1,109 meters above sea level is about 20 km from Bitung town in North Sulawesi.
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
