Evacuation was underway for the 18 bodies, including three foreigners, from an Indonesian military plane that crashed in the West Java jungle, officials and local media reports said Saturday. ( dpa )
But foggy weather and steep terrain in the Mount Salak area were hampering the joint rescue teams comprised of hundreds of military and police officers and local residents, officials said.
The Casa C-212 cargo air plane belonging to the Indonesian Air Force went missing Thursday, and was found crashed in West Java's Bogor district, about 40 kilometres south of Jakarta. There were no survivors.
Vice Marshal I Gusti Made Oka, Air Force deputy chief of staff, said the wreckage was in a deep ravine, limiting rescuers to access by foot only. The nearest village is 15 kilometres.
Evacuation would likely take place using a helicopter and rope, Oka told the state-run Antara News Agency.
A local resident told Metro TV the aircraft had "split in two".
Three foreigners - a Briton, Indian and Singaporean - were among the six civilians on board the plane when it took off from a Jakarta air base on a short flight to test ground imaging equipment.
The foreigners were from a company that sold aerial photography equipment and were on a short trial flight from a Jakarta air base when the plane disappeared.
Indonesia has one of the world's worst aviation safety records after a string of deadly disasters in recent years. The archipelago relies heavily on air as well as sea links for transport.