Rescue teams in Indonesia have recovered the bodies of all 10 occupants aboard a chartered aircraft that crashed into a mountain over the weekend, a local rescue official confirmed on Friday.
The turboprop aircraft, chartered by the country’s fisheries ministry, was carrying seven crew members and three civil servants when it lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday.
The plane later crashed into Mount Bulusaraung on Sulawesi Island.
Eight bodies had earlier been recovered as search teams navigated the mountain’s rugged slopes, with rescue efforts slowed by difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions.
The two remaining bodies were discovered on Friday and are expected to be evacuated from the crash site, according to local rescue official Andi Sultan.
Authorities said the aircraft’s black box was located on Wednesday and is expected to provide critical information on the cause of the crash, which occurred shortly before the plane was scheduled to land in Makassar. The local search and rescue agency disclosed that investigators are now analysing the device.
Wreckage from the aircraft, including sections of the fuselage, tail components, and windows, was found near the mountaintop on Sunday.
Indonesia, an expansive Southeast Asian archipelago, depends heavily on air travel to link its thousands of islands. However, the country has recorded several deadly aviation incidents in recent years.
In September, a helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed shortly after taking off from South Kalimantan, killing everyone on board. Less than two weeks later, another helicopter crash in the remote Papua district of Ilaga claimed four lives.
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