International News

One dead, three critical in Indonesian chopper crash

JAKARTA, (APP/AFP) – A pilot was killed
and three passengers critically wounded after a helicopter crashed in remote eastern Indonesia Saturday, officials said, the latest accident to beset the country’s beleaguered aviation sector.
The Bell 206 helicopter of aircraft operator Amur went down in Paniai
district, Papua province.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident. Weather
conditions were reported to be normal at the time.
“We have evacuated the passengers to the nearby city of Nabire so
they could get medical treatment,” said Agus Rianto, a spokesman for Indonesia’s national police.
Papua,the easternmost province of Indonesia, is a remote, mountainous
area and light aircraft are commonly used for transport in the province.
But the difficult terrain and bad weather have caused several
accidents in recent years.
Last year, a plane from Trigana Air, a small domestic Indonesian
airline, crashed killing 54 people on board.