Speaking to the press at Halim Perdanakusuma air force base, East Jakarta, Thursday morning, the president said he had ordered the head of the National SAR Agency (Basarnas) Vice Marshal Daryatmo to take every step necessary to rescue any survivors in the plane accident.
The head of state said he received the progress report from Vice Marshal Daryatmo about the search efforts by helicopters and from land.
"Ten minutes ago, it was reported that most likely the plane crashed in a hillside on Mount Salak. I talked to a field officer located around 1.5 km from where the plane crashed. We do our best and don`t know exactly what happen, but the priority is to rescue the victims," he said.
Yudhoyono also ordered an investigation into the cause of the accident.
"I am concerned, it`s an accident. There are more than 40 passengers, and mostly Indonesians including journalists. Therefore, we pray for the best," he said.
Russia`s Sukhoi Superjet-100 went missing when conducting a demonstration flight with 50 passengers aboard, in Mount Salak area, West Java, on Wednesday afternoon.
The authorities reported that they found the Sukhoi plane on Thursday at around 9:15 a.m. local time on Mt Salak`s hillside. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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