Indonesian rescuers recovered a body on Sunday during the search for 11 people after a plane crashed while approaching mountainous terrain on Sulawesi island, officials said.
Muhammad Arif Anwar, who heads Makassar’s Search and Rescue Office, said the body of a man was retrieved from a ravine about 200 meters (656 feet) deep on the slope of Mount Bulusaraung, near scattered aircraft debris. Teams also found additional wreckage, including parts of the aircraft frame and passenger seats.
Anwar said rescuers visually identified what is believed to be the engine of the turboprop ATR 42-500 that crashed on Saturday afternoon.
The plane was operated by Indonesia Air Transport and was traveling from Yogyakarta on Indonesia’s main island of Java to Makassar, the capital city of South Sulawesi province. It vanished from radar shortly after being instructed by air traffic control to correct its approach alignment.
The flight carried eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, who were aboard as part of an airborne maritime surveillance mission, according to the report.
Strong winds, heavy fog and steep rugged terrain slowed the search, Maj. Gen. Bangun Nawoko, the South Sulawesi military commander, said. He said visibility at the summit was about 5 meters.
Brig. Gen. Andre Clift Rumbayan, who leads specialized search units, said rescuers spotted additional bodies lying along a steep cliff but have not been able to reach them yet. The search was halted as darkness fell Sunday and was to resume on Monday morning.
Indonesia relies heavily on air transport and ferries to connect its more than 17,000 islands. The country has also faced transportation accidents in recent years, including plane and bus crashes and ferry sinkings.