It will take the Indonesian authorities about two weeks to identify the bodies of 13 passengers of an Indonesian Army (TNI-AD) helicopter which crashed in Malinau, North Kalimantan near the Indonesian-Malaysian border on Saturday.
The process to identify the victims involved forensic examination and matching their DNA with that of their next-of-kin, said TNI-AD Flight Centre Commandant, Brig-Jen M. Afifuddin on Monday.
Meanwhile, TNI-AD Chief of Staff General Budiman said the helicopter which was ferrying 19 passengers crashed into a 10-metre deep ravine amidst strong wind.
The dead comprised eight civilians and five military personnel.
The six survivors comprised two Army personnel and four civilians.
“The survivors, who suffered burn injuries, have been evacuated to the Tarakan Naval Hospital,” he said when contacted from Samarinda.
Regarding the removal of the bodies of the dead victims, Legowo said it could not be done on Saturday due to a limited number of helicopters and the fading light. The operation to remove the bodies will resume on Sunday.
Legowo said the helicopter crashed in thick jungle amid strong winds.
The East Kalimantan Police chief spokesman, Sr. Comr. Fajar Setiawan said the ill-fated helicopter took off from Tarakan city at about 10 a.m. local time, initially with six passengers of whom three were civilians.
“The helicopter then landed at Apauping village to take another 10 residents who were to help in the construction of the Malinau-Sarawak border guard post”. Fajar told Antara from Samarinda.
The helicopter left the village at about 10:20 a.m local time carrying 19 people on board, including three crew, and logistics heading to the Malinau-Serawak border.
“The distance between the village and the post is very far and could only be reached in three days if attempted overland,” said Fajar. “Therefore, logistics supply has to be carried out by air.”
The helicopter crashed near the post’s soccer field as it was about to land.
Earlier, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief spokesman, Rear Adm. Iskandar Sitompul confirmed the helicopter had crashed and, based on initial investigations, it was suspected the helicopter had suffered a power loss.
“The helicopter was heading to its destination when it suffered a sudden power loss causing it to crash and burst into flames,” he told Antara in Jakarta.
Iskandar said the helicopter was relatively new, being between two and three years old. There have already been two serious incidents involving Mi-17s this year.
Monday 11 November 2013
http://www.nst.com.my/latest/two-weeks-to-identify-bodies-of-indonesian-army-copter-crash-victims-1.398212
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/10/chopper-crashes-13-dead.html
1 comments:
That's pretty intense story. Military people have a lot to go through once they are kept captive by the enemy troupes. They are punished in such a manner that they pray to get killed soon.
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