A loud explosion was heard before a passenger plane lost contact with air traffic control and vanished over South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The aircraft, an ATR 42-500 operated by Indonesia Air Transport, was flying from Yogyakarta to Makassar when it disappeared around 12 miles into its flight.
The plane was carrying three passengers and eight crew members, bringing the total feared dead to 11. Emergency services have been dispatched to the suspected crash site, and a joint search and rescue team is scouring the Maros Regency in South Sulawesi.
Debris believed to belong to the aircraft has been spotted in a mountainous, densely forested area. Commander of the XIV Hasanuddin Military Region, Maj Gen Bangun Nawoko, told reporters that authorities received reports of an explosion before the plane vanished. He stated, "It is very likely that it fell."
Director General of Air Transport, Lukman Laisa, said the plane deviated from its approach path, prompting air traffic control to issue instructions to correct its position. After several redirections, communication was lost. The last signal from the missing plane was received at 11:20am local time, about 12 miles northeast of Yogyakarta airport. The aircraft had been flying low over the sea.
Aircraft manufacturer ATR issued a statement: "ATR has been informed that an accident occurred in Indonesia involving an ATR 42-500. Our first thoughts are with all the individuals affected by the accident. ATR specialists are fully engaged to support both the investigation led by the Indonesian authorities and the operator."
