Eight people killed in helicopter crash in West Kalimantan, Indonesia

SadaNews - Indonesian authorities said today (Friday) that eight people on board a helicopter were killed when it crashed in West Kalimantan, while search teams continue their efforts to retrieve the bodies and wreckage of the aircraft.

Mohammad Shafe'i, head of the Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency, mentioned that contact with the aircraft, an "Airbus H130", was lost yesterday morning (Thursday) shortly after it took off from a farming area in Melawi, five minutes into the flight.

He added, "The accident site or loss of contact occurred in a dense forest area with very steep mountainous terrain," explaining that rescue teams found wreckage presumed to be the tail of the aircraft about three kilometers west of the location where contact was lost.

The causes of the accident are still unclear. A spokesperson for the local rescue agency stated that the six passengers and the two crew members have died.

Rescue workers, including members of the military and police, are trying to reach the accident site by land routes today (Friday).