A helicopter carrying eight people, including an Indian national, crashed in the remote mountains of Borneo after emitting white smoke mid-flight, according to Indonesian authorities.
The Eastindo Air Airbus BK117 D-3 departed from Kotabaru in South Kalimantan Monday morning, bound for Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan.
Roughly eight minutes into the flight, it lost contact with air traffic control and appeared to be flying unusually low, with witnesses reporting it was trailing white smoke.
Among those on board was Indian citizen Santha Kumar, along with an American and a Brazilian national.
The helicopter also carried a pilot, an engineer, and three other passengers.
Once the aircraft went missing, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency, Basarnas, mobilized a force of 140 personnel.
The effort spans both land and air, covering an area of about 27 square kilometers near Mantewe in the Tanah Bumbu district, where dense forest and hilly terrain complicate the search.
Two helicopters are operating in shifts to carry out aerial sweeps, while ground teams comb the forest on foot.
So far, no survivors or wreckage have been recovered. Authorities continue their efforts, hoping to locate the aircraft and its occupants soon.
This model, the BK117 D-3, is a twin-engine utility helicopter frequently used for transport, search and rescue, and medical evacuation missions.