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| Passenger Plane Vanishes in Eastern Indonesia | Passenger Plane Vanishes in Eastern Indonesia |
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| JAKARTA, Indonesia — A small passenger plane carrying 10 people disappeared in eastern Indonesia shortly after takeoff on Friday, officials said, in the country’s latest aviation mishap. | JAKARTA, Indonesia — A small passenger plane carrying 10 people disappeared in eastern Indonesia shortly after takeoff on Friday, officials said, in the country’s latest aviation mishap. |
| The DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Aviastar, a regional carrier, vanished from radar within minutes after taking off at 2:25 p.m. from Masamba, a town in South Sulawesi Province, en route to Makassar, the provincial capital, said Petrus Budi, the commercial general manager for the airline. | The DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Aviastar, a regional carrier, vanished from radar within minutes after taking off at 2:25 p.m. from Masamba, a town in South Sulawesi Province, en route to Makassar, the provincial capital, said Petrus Budi, the commercial general manager for the airline. |
| “There’s no update up till now on where it is,” he said on Friday evening. | “There’s no update up till now on where it is,” he said on Friday evening. |
| Mr. Petrus said the last contact the authorities had with the aircraft was 11 minutes after takeoff, when the pilots radioed to controllers in Makassar to advise them that they had reached an altitude of 8,000 feet. | Mr. Petrus said the last contact the authorities had with the aircraft was 11 minutes after takeoff, when the pilots radioed to controllers in Makassar to advise them that they had reached an altitude of 8,000 feet. |
| “They said they would check in again about 40 minutes outside of Makassar but never did,” Mr. Petrus said, adding that the flight was supposed to arrive around 3:40 p.m. | |
| A. J. Barata, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, said on Friday evening that the authorities did not know whether the plane had crashed. He said the ministry had not yet requested search-and-rescue operations. | A. J. Barata, a spokesman for Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, said on Friday evening that the authorities did not know whether the plane had crashed. He said the ministry had not yet requested search-and-rescue operations. |
| “It’s missing, and we’re giving notice to other aircraft that may be flying that route” in case they spotted the plane, Mr. Barata told a news conference in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. | “It’s missing, and we’re giving notice to other aircraft that may be flying that route” in case they spotted the plane, Mr. Barata told a news conference in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital. |
| The plane was carrying seven passengers and three crew members, he said. | The plane was carrying seven passengers and three crew members, he said. |
| According to Aviastar’s website, the regional carrier has been operating since 2003 and has commercial and charter routes in the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and Bali. | According to Aviastar’s website, the regional carrier has been operating since 2003 and has commercial and charter routes in the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Sulawesi and Bali. |
| Indonesia has had numerous commercial and military air disasters in recent years, including three deadly crashes alone since last December that killed a total of 359 people. | Indonesia has had numerous commercial and military air disasters in recent years, including three deadly crashes alone since last December that killed a total of 359 people. |