Official says Indonesian plane was 'totally destroyed,' no one survived crash
Rescuers have recovered nearly all the bodies of the 54 people on board the Trigana Air Service plane that went down in a mountainous region of Indonesia Sunday.
"The plane was totally destroyed and all the bodies were burned and difficult to identify," Bambang Soelistyo, head of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told The Associated Press. "There is no chance anyone survived." The plane disappeared during bad weather a few minutes before it was scheduled to land in the city of Oksibil. A search plane spotted the wreckage in the Bintang Mountains district of the Papua province, and rescue crews arrived at the location Tuesday morning. Soelistyo said the wreckage was at an altitude of 2,600 meters, and rescuers had to overcome intense weather and rugged terrain to get to the crash site.
Officials said they have also found the black box, and the bodies will be sent to the capital of Papua province, Jayapura, for identification. The airline's crisis center spokesperson said all of the passengers were Indonesian, and included two members of the local parliament and three local government officials.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The Week contest: Swift stimulus
Puzzles and Quizzes
By The Week US Published
-
'It's hard to resist a sweet deal on a good car'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
10 concert tours to see this winter
The Week Recommends Keep warm traveling the United States — and the world — to see these concerts
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published