A helicopter carrying eight people vanished over Indonesia’s Borneo island on Monday after losing contact with air traffic control only minutes into its flight, officials said.
The Airbus BK117 D-3, operated by Eastindo Air, departed from Kotabaru district in South Kalimantan province at 8:46 a.m. local time, bound for Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan. The aircraft had been scheduled to arrive at 10:15 a.m., but communication was lost at 8:54 a.m., just eight minutes after takeoff.
Authorities said the last known location of the helicopter was over the Mantewe forest area in Tanahbumbu district, a remote and heavily wooded region of Borneo. On board were one pilot, one engineer and six passengers.
The Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency said it received the first report of the missing helicopter at 12:02 p.m. and immediately deployed teams by land and air. A firefighting helicopter has also been mobilized to join the operation.
“We hope to find them safe and sound,” said I Putu Sudayana, head of the rescue agency, noting that search operations are focused in dense jungle terrain.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, has a challenging aviation record due to its vast geography, frequent extreme weather and difficult topography, including dense forests and mountainous terrain.
The helicopter disappearance comes as Indonesia continues efforts to improve aviation safety across its regions, where small aircraft are often used to connect remote communities.
As of Monday evening, the search for the missing helicopter and its eight occupants was still underway.
