Rescuers Find 12 Bodies At Plane Crash Site

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya JAKARTA (Indonesia), May 12 (Bernama) -- Search and rescue teams have found the bodies of 12 of the passengers of a Russian-made aircraft which crashed into a hillside in Bogor, western Java, during a demonstration flight on Wednesday, but are prevented from removing them by bad weather, a steep incline and a yet-to-be-ready makeshift helipad. The Sukhoi Superjet 100 carrying 45 people, among them eight Russians from the Sukhoi company and several Indonesians including journalists, had left the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport here at 2.12 pm and lost contact with the air traffic control tower at 2.50 pm. National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) chief Vice Marshal Daryatmo said measures were being taken to remove the bodies. Shortly before the plane went off the radar, the pilot had sought permission from the air traffic control tower to descend from 10,000 feet to 6,000 feet, the reason for which has yet to be determined. Most of the family members of the passengers gathered at the airport were saddened by news of bodies being found. However, some of them have not given up hope of seeing their loved ones safe. -- BERNAMA