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Indonesian search effort in Nepal hindered by problem acquiring helicopter
Search efforts for three Indonesian nationals known to be stranded in the Himalayas in Nepal have been delayed because the Indonesian relief and evacuation team was unable to rent a helicopter for the search mission
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earch efforts for three Indonesian nationals known to be stranded in the Himalayas in Nepal have been delayed because the Indonesian relief and evacuation team was unable to rent a helicopter for the search mission.
Team commander Lt. Col. Indan Gilang said the search efforts for the Indonesian climbers were held up because the Nepali government had taken control of all air assets, both fixed and rotary winged.
'Due to the emergency situation, the Nepali government had taken over the operations of all aircraft; even using private operators must be done through the government," Indan said on Saturday in Kathmandu as quoted by Antara news agency.
The search was supposed to start on Friday. The Indonesian relief and evacuation team planned to rent a privately owned helicopter to comb the Langtang, Dunce and Kyanjin Gompa areas of the Himalayas.
To resolve the matter, Indan said that the Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh and Nepal, Iwan Wiranata-Atmadja, had talked with the Nepali Army Air Service commander in order to help find a solution.
The team has divided the search area into three regions: from air, land and a sweep of all hospitals near Kathmandu. (dyl/nvn) (++++)
