Eight individuals lost their lives when an Airbus H130 helicopter crashed in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, officials confirmed on Friday. The aircraft was carrying six passengers, along with a pilot and co-pilot, when it went down on Thursday in the Sekadau regency.
The helicopter had taken off from Melawi regency at 07:34 local time (00:34 GMT) and was reported missing after losing contact with air traffic control around 08:39, approximately an hour into the flight.
In a significant development, rescue teams reached the remote crash site later on Thursday; however, the recovery operation faced substantial delays. The challenging terrain, characterized by dense forests, combined with poor visibility due to adverse weather conditions, severely hampered evacuation efforts.
A spokesperson for Sekadau police confirmed that there were no survivors, stating that all eight victims had been confirmed dead. Authorities plan to commence investigations into the cause of the crash once the recovery of all bodies is complete.
