JAKARTA: A helicopter crash in Indonesia has left eight people dead after the aircraft went down in a remote forested area shortly after takeoff.
According to officials, the Indonesia-based helicopter, manufactured by Airbus and operated by a private firm, lost contact with air traffic controllers just minutes after departing from West Kalimantan on Borneo island.
The aircraft was carrying two crew members and six passengers. Authorities confirmed that all eight individuals on board one of whom was a Malaysian national were killed in the Search and rescue teams later located the wreckage in a heavily forested region with difficult terrain. Recovery operations were completed the same day, and the victims’ bodies were transported to Pontianak, the provincial capital.
Indonesia, which consists of thousands of islands, depends greatly on air travel for connectivity. However, the country has faced ongoing concerns about aviation safety, with multiple fatal crashes reported in recent years involving both planes and helicopters.
