Indonesian Army helicopter crash critically injures 4

Indonesian Army helicopter crash critically injures 4

2011-05-17 05:17:53 GMT+7 (ICT)

TIMIKA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- An Indonesian Army helicopter on Monday crashed in the eastern region of the country, critically injuring four passengers, officials said.

The accident occurred at around 11 a.m. local time, when a regional Cenderawasih/XVII Military Command Bell-412 helicopter carrying more than 10 passengers crashed after taking off from Timika, in the province of Papua, and heading out to Mapenduma, Papua, Antara news agency reported.

The information regarding the accident remains unclear, as some reports say up to 17 people were on board, while others say there were 10 passengers on board plus three crew members.

According to one of the passengers, Karel Gwijangge, the chopper crashed around five meters (16.4 feet) before reaching its destination, around one hour and a half after taking off.

One of the four critically injured passengers is Gwijangge's mother, while the victims of the crash are awaiting a plane to arrive and transport the injured from Mapenduma to Timika. The three crew members were evacuated by an Airfast helicopter belonging to PT Freeport Indonesia.

Prior to the crash, reports indicate that smoke was seen coming out of the aircraft's engine, but the reason of the crash also remains uncertain. The accident severely damaged the helicopter with one of its propellers coming off and its tail broken. Despite the four critically injured, officials and passengers agree that they were all fortunate to come out alive.

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