RESCUERS EVACUATE 11 BODIES OF MIMIKA AIR CRASH VICTIMS

Timika, Papua, April 20 (ANTARA) - A local government rescue team in cooperation with an emergency and rescue team from PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) have evacuated the bodies of the 11 victims of the recent Mimika Air plane crash.

Evacuation efforts were conducted twice, first at 7.45 a.m. local time, and then at 8.45 a.m. local time by using an AirFast helicopter belonging to PTFI, Air Force Base Commander Lt. Col. Easter Haryanto said here on Monday.

The evacuation efforts proceeded smoothly as the weather in the Mount Gergaji area was good, he said.

The bodies of the plane which dropped in the Mount Gergaji area, Puncak Jaya District, last Friday (April 17) were evacuated to Ilaga, which is near the location of the air accident.

The bodies belonged to Nai Lin Aung, a Myanmarese pilot, Makmur Soesilo (Indonesian Co-Pilot), Marten Jitmau, Rev. Melkias Kiwak, Welem Wayauw, Lasarus Wonda, Ruben Murib, Emina Murib, and Emina Murib's baby, Herman Sanafi and Irwan Patabang.

The pilot's and co-pilot's bodies would be flown from Ilaga to Timika and later to Jakarta, Marten Jitmau's body would be taken to Sorong, Papua, Herman Sanafi's body to Sentani, Jayapura (Papau Province), while the rest would be buried in Ilaga and Mulia, the capital of Puncak Jaya District.

"We could not take the bodies from Ilaga immediately because they need first to be identified as their condition are hardly recognizable, except for the pilot's and co-pilot's bodies which are intact," the air force base commander said.

The Mimika Air's Pilatus plane belonging to the Mimika district administration crashed during a flight from Ilaga to Mulia in Papua on Friday morning (April 17).
On April 9 this year, six people were killed when an Aviastar cargo plane carrying essential food supplies crashed in poor weather after aborting an attempt to land in Wamena in Papua Province.

***3***