Helicopter crash in Sulawesi, Indonesia kills 10

Helicopter crash in Sulawesi, Indonesia kills 10

2011-08-04 21:23:19 GMT+7 (ICT)

BITUNG, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Ten people were killed, including four Australians, when a helicopter crashed on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Wednesday, officials said on Thursday.

The accident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the Bell 412 helicopter owned by PT Nyaman Air crashed on Mount Dua Saudara, which is located in the city of Bitung in North Sulawesi. The helicopter was traveling from Manado, North Sulawesi to Gosowong on the island of Halmahera in the North Maluku region.

According to reports, the aircraft lost contact with air traffic controllers just three minutes after it had taken off at around 2:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday. However, the wreckage was not located until early Thursday morning at around 2 a.m. local time. Emergency teams found one survivor, identified as Dian R. Rudiansah. He was rushed to the Manembo-Bitung Hospital, but he later died.

Eight of the ten victims were PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals employees, while the two others were the pilot, Edy Purwanto, and a helicopter technician, Rumaidy. Among the fatal victims were four Australian nationals who were identified as Barry Tominson, Adrian Aird, Dion Rennie, and Roeloft Roodt. The other three victims were identified as Wilson Yosua, Zainudin Ahmad, and Roy Nawawi.

PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals, a joint venture between Newcrest Mining LTd, which is based in Melbourne, Australia, and PT Aneka Tambang, an Indonesian company, chartered the plane. Mount Dua Saudara is located 1,109 meters (3,638 feet) above sea level and about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Bitung.

Investigations are ongoing as the reason of the accident remains uncertain.

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