Google – AFP, Olivia Rondonuwu (AFP), 9 November 2013
File
picture for illustration shows a soldier walking in front of a Russian-made
Mi-17
helicopter at a military airport in Kabul, January 17, 2008 (AFP/File,
Massoud Hossaini)
|
Jakarta —
Thirteen people died when an Indonesian army helicopter carrying construction
workers to build a military outpost crashed in the jungles of Borneo Saturday
and burst into flames, an official said.
The
helicopter was carrying eight crew, 13 construction workers and materials when
it appeared to suffer engine trouble and fell to earth.
The
Russian-made, Mi-17 aircraft was completely burnt out following the accident in
a remote part of Malinau district, North Kalimantan province, said military
spokesman Iskandar Sitompul.
It was just
the latest deadly aircraft accident in the sprawling Indonesian archipelago,
which relies heavily on air transport to link its many islands but has one of
Asia's poorest aviation safety records.
"Thirteen
people died in the crash while the rest suffered burn injuries," Sitompul
told AFP.
"There
was engine trouble and the helicopter lost power," he said, adding that it
"fell with a thump this morning and a fire started".
An army
spokesman, Rukman Ahmad, confirmed a crash had taken place: "An Mi-17
helicopter was involved in an accident near outpost Bulan. It was carrying
construction workers to build the outpost."
Eight of
those who died were civilian construction workers, while five others were crew
members, who were military personnel, said Sitompul.
The
military had started evacuating the survivors, he added.
The area
near the Malaysian border is so remote it can only be reached by helicopter, an
AFP reporter on Borneo said.
Borneo is a
vast, biodiverse island shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, covered
in lush jungle and home to rare animals such as orangutans.
The
military spokesman Sitompul said early indications suggested that engine
problems had caused the helicopter to crash although he stressed it was still
unclear exactly what happened.
There have
been numerous fatal crashes over the years in Indonesia and some have involved
military aircraft.
In 2009, four
people were killed after an Indonesian navy aircraft crashed into a swamp on
Borneo.
Earlier
that year, at least 101 people died when an Indonesian military transport plane
carrying soldiers and their families crashed into homes and erupted in flames..
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