An Indonesian plane which is believed to have 54 people on board has reportedly gone missing.
According to reports, contact with the Trigana Air plane was lost just before 3pm local time today (6am Irish time).
The plane was travelling from Sentani airport in Jayapura to the town of Oksibil in the south.
There is said to be 44 adults, five children and five crew on board.
“We are not sure what happened to the plane yet and we are co-ordinating with local authorities,” said Transport Ministry spokesperson Julius Barata to AFP news agency.
“The weather is currently very bad there, it’s very dark and cloudy. It’s not conducive for a search. The area is mountainous.”
According to Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, the search was suspended at nightfall due to poor visibility and will be resumed on Monday morning at 6am local time.
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UPDATE:
The wreckage of the Indonesian plane has been found in the remote western Papua region according to officials.
The plane, which was carrying 54 people, was reportedly found in the Bintang highlands region.
There are no reports yet of any survivors.
“Residents provided information that the aircraft crashed into Tangok mountain,” said the country’s director-general of air transportation.
