Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of an Indonesian Air Transport turboprop aircraft, a day after it crashed while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar. Photo / Muchtamir Zaide, AFP
Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of an Indonesian Air Transport turboprop aircraft, a day after it crashed while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar. Photo / Muchtamir Zaide, AFP
The body of one of 11 people on board a plane that crashed in eastern Indonesia was found on Sunday, with debris from the aircraft.
The Indonesia Air Transport (IAT) passenger plane went missing on Saturday after losing contact with air traffic control mid-flight in the South Sulawesi province. Itwas flying from Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, to Makassar, on Sulawesi island.
Search and rescue workers found the body in a steep mountain ravine, but poor weather conditions, including fog, and harsh terrain forced them to delay its recovery until Monday.
The team also found what is believed to be the fuselage, tail and windows of the ATR 42-500 turboprop, according to Muhammad Arif Anwar, a local official.
Other wreckage from the flight, including the plane’s engine and passenger seats, has also been found.
The wreckage of an Indonesian Air Transport turboprop aircraft lies scattered at Mt Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi on January 18, 2026. Photo / Muchtamir Zaide, AFP
Three government workers and eight crew members were believed to be on board the plane as part of an aerial monitoring mission for Indonesia’s ministry of marine affairs and fisheries.
The plane crashed into Mt Bulusaraung in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park, which borders the city of Makassar, Anwar said. The crash site is approximately 1500km northeast of Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city.
The official added that a unit had been deployed by air to search for the 10 remaining passengers and crew.
The search mission on land and air has involved more than 1000 people so far, including members of the air force, police and volunteers.
Search and rescue personnel carry a body bag from the accident site at Mt Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi. Photo / Muchtamir Zaide, AFP
The cause of the crash remains to be determined. In a statement, IAT said the aircraft had had technical problems, but it was declared safe before flying to Makassar.
Indonesia is heavily reliant on air transport to connect the thousands of islands making up the archipelago.
The country has a poor record of aviation safety, with several fatal crashes in recent years.
In 2015, all 54 people on board an ATR 42-300 died after it crashed into a mountainside in the Papua region.
In September, a helicopter crash killed all eight people on board in the South Kalimantan province. Less than two weeks later, four people were killed in a helicopter crash in Papua.
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