Indonesia police plane with 13 onboard feared crashed

Fishermen find clothes, suitcases and seats believed from the plane that disappeared near Singapore

By AFP 3 December 2016, 1:50 pm

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Crew members of Indonesian Air Force NAS 332 Super Puma helicopter look out of the windows during a search operation for the victims of AirAsia Flight 8501 over the Java Sea, Indonesia, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2015. (Photo credit: AP/Adi Weda, Pool)

JAKARTA, Indonesia — An Indonesian police plane carrying 13 people went missing Saturday on a short domestic flight and is feared crashed, police said, the latest blow to the country’s aviation sector.

The M28 Skytruck plane lost contact with air traffic control during what was supposed to be a 1.5 hour flight in western Indonesia.

“Fishermen found clothes, suitcases and air plane seats we fear belong to the plane,” national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told AFP.

The plane was on its way from Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung province, to Batam in the Riau Islands.

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An earlier police statement said the plane had set off at 9:24 am but that air traffic control lost contact with the plane at 10:15 am.

It was carrying five crew and eight passengers.

Indonesia’s search and rescue team have been deployed and Singapore said it was also helping as the incident happened close to the city-state.

Indonesia has a poor aviation safety record and has experienced several air disasters recently.

Last week, an Indonesian army helicopter crashed on Borneo island leaving three crew dead, while in November a cargo plane crashed in Papua region killing four.