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Ill-fated police plane carrying 13 exploded after hitting water: Witnesses
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Anxious moment: Officers from the Riau Islands Police's Bhayangkara Hospital take information on Sunday from relatives of a passenger of the police plane that crashed into the sea near Senayang, Lingga regency, Riau Islands, the day before. (JP/Fadli)
W
itnesses say that the police plane that crashed into the sea near Senayang, Lingga regency, Riau Islands, on Saturday morning, exploded immediately after hitting the water, according to the local police.
Riau Islands Police chief Brig. Gen. Sambudi Gusdian said four fishermen had reported seeing a plane flying low from a distance of around 2 kilometers before crashing into the water.
“They heard the plane’s engine go off before hitting the water. It later exploded in the water,” he told reporters on Sunday.
The fishermen, Sambudi continued, approached the location of the crash, where they found pieces of cloth, aircraft seats and human body parts.
“The aircraft and passengers’ bodies are no longer intact, as the plane exploded in the sea,” he said.
The M-28 Skytruck airplane, which was carrying 13 passengers, had departed from Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, for Batam, Riau Islands, before it crashed.
Lingga regency is located north of Batam and can be reached in four hours by ferry. (hwa)
