Aviastar passenger plane missing off coast of Indonesia: Seven passengers and three crew thought to have died
A small passenger plane, carrying 10 people, has gone missing off the coast of Indonesia.
Contact was lost with an Aviastar flight travelling between Masamba and Makassar on the island of Sulawesi, local media is reporting.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, there were three crew and seven passengers on board. The plane is recorded as "missing, presumed damaged beyond repair". The 10 passengers are recorded as "fatalities".
The last radio contact with the plane – a DHC-6 Twin Otter operated by Aviastar Mandiri – was at 6:36am local time, 15 minutes after take-off. It was due to arrive at Makassar an hour later but never arrived.
A rescue team has been sent to search for the plane.
Aviastar is a domestic airline that only flies within Indonesia.
https://twitter.com/aviastar1/status/649903520473178116
Aviastar has tweeted what it says could be the last known picture of the aircraft.
https://twitter.com/aviastar1/status/649904002289659904
The head of information and communication at Indonesia's ministry of transportation Julius Barata confirmed the plane was missing, according to local media.
Police chief inspector general Sulselbar Pudji Hartanto said: "There were 10 passengers consisting of one pilot, one co-pilot, one engineer and four adult passengers as well as one child and two babies."