Villager claims seeing ruins of missing air force' plane

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 06/27/2008 5:11 PM  |  National

A villager claimed Friday that he saw the ruins of a missing air force' airplane missing since Thursday morning,

Nusi, a resident of Cibitung hamlet, Pasir Gaok village in Tenjolaya district at the slope of Salak Mount in Bogor, West Java, said he saw the airplane at about 2 p.m. in a deep gorge in Tegal Lilin hamlet of Pasir Gaok village in Tenjolaya district.

Nusi said he was hunting for birds with friend Fahidin when they stumbled upon the wreckage.

He claimed that he saw bodies scattered around the missing airplane.

However Air Force chief spokesman Air Commodore Chaerudin Ray could not yet confirm the report.

"We have yet to get report from our search and rescue team sent to the location," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

"It is located some 15 kilometers through hilly area from a path. There is nobody lives in the area."

Chaerudin said light rain in the area hampered aerial observation using helicopters.

The NC-212-200 light transport airplane was conducting an aerial surveillance training mission when it lost contact at about 10:23 a.m. The aircraft tail registration number is A-2106.

The airplane is manned by 5 crew member and carrying 13 passengers. Seven of them are officers from air force' aerial mapping and surveillance agency.

Six other passengers are civilians, including three foreigners, from a firm supplying a digital mapping. The foreigners were instructors in the training mission. (Theresia Sufa/nvn)

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