Indonesia's crashed plane has yet to be found
www.chinaview.cn 2007-01-02 22:43:20

    JAKARTA, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Hasanuddin Air Force Base chief Eddy Suyanto claimed Tuesday that AdamAir Boeing 737-400 that went missing Monday has yet to be found.

    "Earlier reports saying that the ill-fated airplane was already found with 90 victims and 12 survivors are not true," Eddy -- flanked by Transportation Minister Hatta Radjasa -- told the mediain Makassar, capital of South Sulaweisi province.

    "Reports about the wreckage and victims found around Rangoan village in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, came from local villagers," a local leading website "detik.com" quoted Eddy as saying.

    The reports were then verified by sending a search and rescue (SAR) team including a number of high ranking officials including South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Aryanto Boediharjo and WestSulawesi Governor Anwar Adnan Saleh.

    Also being deployed were 745 soldiers and police officers to the believed crash site.

    The SAR team, however, did not find the wreckage and victims. They have been ordered to return and to search in other area of Rantepao in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi.

    Eddy suspected the false information was being circulated by certain irresponsible parties.

    Both Eddy and Hatta also requested the media to confirm all information through the Air Force Base commander as SAR mission coordinator.

    Eddy said an Air Force Boeing 737-200 Surveiller reconnaissance plane would be dispatched Wednesday morning to comb Rantepao area.

    The airplane combed Majene and Polewali Mandar areas for three and a half hours but did not find any signs of the ill-fated plane.

    Search workers also deploy two helicopters from the National SAR Agency and police, three NC-212 Aviocars and three Nomads patrol airplanes from the Indonesian Navy.

    An Adam Air Boeing 737-400 plane with 102 people on board was missing on Monday afternoon.

Editor: Luan Shanglin
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