Indonesian search teams have confirmed the recovery of all ten victims from the wreckage of a crashed surveillance aircraft in South Sulawesi province. The ATR 42-500 turboprop, operated by Indonesia Air Transport (IAT), vanished from radar contact last Saturday during a fisheries monitoring mission for the nation’s Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry.
The aircraft carried seven crew members and three ministry personnel when it disappeared near the Maros region approximately 1,500 kilometers northeast of Jakarta. After days of intensive search operations, rescue personnel located the scattered wreckage across the challenging terrain of Mount Bulusaraung.
Andi Sultan, a visibly emotional official from South Sulawesi’s rescue agency, confirmed in a video statement that the final two victims were recovered early Friday, completing the tragic recovery operation. The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has initiated a comprehensive investigation into the accident, with examination of the recently recovered black box data underway.
This incident marks Indonesia’s first fatal crash involving an ATR 42 model in over a decade, recalling the 2015 Trigana Air Service tragedy in Papua that claimed 54 lives. The nation’s aviation safety record has faced increased scrutiny since the 2021 Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 crash in the Java Sea that resulted in 62 fatalities.