Plane Carrying 11 People Vanished from Radar During 2-Hour Flight. Search for Wreckage and Survivors Continues

NEED TO KNOW

• An Indonesia Air Transport plane carrying 11 people vanished during what was supposed to have been a two-hour flight
• The plane last made contact with air traffic control in Indonesia on Saturday, Jan. 17, at 1:17 p.m. local time
• A search-and-rescue operation is currently underway

A passenger plane carrying 11 people vanished in Indonesia, and authorities are currently searching for survivors.

The Indonesia Air Transport turboplane disappeared from radar during what should have been a two-hour flight from Yogyakarta to Makassar, according to the Associated Press (AP) and Antara, Indonesia’s national news agency.

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The small plane was carrying eight crew members and three passengers. It last made contact with air traffic control at 1:17 p.m local time, according to Edy Prakoso, director of operations at Basarnas, Indonesia’s national search-and-rescue agency, per Antara.

Prakoso told the outlet that data shows the plane likely went down over the Maros District, and that 25 search-and-rescue officers divided into three groups have since been deployed to search for the wreckage.

The search operation is currently ongoing, per Antara.

Indonesia Air Transport and Basarnas did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Jan. 17.

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Hikers on Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi reported seeing scattered debris, including a logo that seemed consistent with Indonesia Air, and small fires burning in the area, according to the AP.

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“The sightings were reported to authorities and are being verified by rescue teams attempting to reach the area,” the South Sulawesi’s Hasanuddin military commander, Maj. Gen. Bangun Nawoko, said in a statement, per the outlet.

In a statement to press, the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, said that three Ministry employees were on board the plane as part of a surveillance mission to support Indonesia’s fisheries management operations, per the AP.

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