Rescue workers retrieved 18 bodies
following an Indonesian plane crash in the West Java jungle, reported dpa. The bodies were rescued from the crash site
in a deep ravine in the Mount Salak area and and taken to a newly built
helipad. However, thick fog hampered the further evacuation of corpse bodies
out of the jungle.
"The unfriendly weather round the crash site makes it impossible to
evacuate the victims to Halim Perdanakusumah air force base in Jakarta," said military spokesman Vice Air Marshal Sagom Tamboen.
Rescue team were considering to evacuate the bodies to Jakarta by land if the
weather allowed for them to carry the corpses nearby village which is lied
about 15 kilometers from the crash site.
Hundreds of military and police officers and local residents joined in the
rescue efforts, 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.
None of the bodies had been identified yet, Air Force spokesman Chaerudin Ray
was quoted as saying by local news.
"The search and rescue (SAR) team still trying to evacuate all 18 victims
to Halim Perdana Kusuma air force base, in Jakarta, Ray said. "I cannot
confirm when and how the victims will be taken to Halim Perdana Kusuma."
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.
The cause of the crash was not immediately. 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.
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