Jakarta, Indonesia: Search and rescue teams in Indonesia have located the wreckage of a missing Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42-500 aircraft on the slopes of Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi province, officials confirmed Sunday, as efforts intensify to find the remaining passengers and crew.
The turboprop aircraft, chartered by Indonesia’s Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries for an aerial surveillance mission, lost contact with air traffic control at about 1:17 p.m. local time on January 17 while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar, authorities said.
Rescuers detecting debris from the aircraft on Sunday morning narrowed the search zone to a steep, forested area inside Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park. Ground teams located scattered wreckage including what are believed to be parts of the fuselage, tail section and windows around the peak of the mountain at approximately 8:02 a.m. local time.
Later in the afternoon, a male victim’s body was recovered from a ravine around 200 meters deep, surrounded by aircraft debris, Makassar’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) announced. The victim is being evacuated via a challenging climbing route amid fog and rain.
The initial report said there were 11 people on board, including eight crew members and three ministry officials. However, later revisions by Indonesian authorities indicated 10 individuals were aboard comprising seven crew and three passengers.
The identities of those aboard, including crew and ministry personnel, have not yet been publicly released. Among the passengers were government officials conducting fisheries surveillance, a ministry statement confirmed.
Rescue operations involve hundreds of personnel from Basarnas, the Indonesian military, police, marine units, volunteers and other agencies. Teams are navigating extremely rugged karst terrain, thick fog and heavy winds that continue to slow progress.
Basarnas officials have established a one-kilometer search radius around the crash site and divided the area into multiple search zones to improve coordination. Helicopters, drones and ground units are deployed across sectors to cover difficult-to-reach areas.
Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has been notified and is expected to lead the investigation, including efforts to locate and recover the aircraft’s flight recorders (black boxes). Investigators have not yet confirmed retrieval of the devices.
Preliminary assessments suggest the aircraft may have crashed into terrain under control, known as “controlled flight into terrain,” though the exact cause of the accident remains under investigation.
Updates: 22 Jan 2026
Indonesian rescuers have made significant progress in the aftermath of the ATR 42-500 crash on Mount Bulusaraung, recovering six more bodies near the initial victim site, two victims were found earlier, bringing the total confirmed fatalities recovered so far to eight, with remains found within about 50 meters of previously located debris and victims.
Rescuers have also successfully recovered the aircraft’s black box flight recorders, which have been handed over to the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) for detailed analysis to help determine the cause of the accident. Search and rescue teams continue operations in extremely challenging mountainous terrain as efforts to locate and identify remaining victims proceed.
