Indonesia Finds Wreckage of Plane with 54 People that Went Missing

A file picture shows a plane of the Indonesian domestic airline Trigana taking off at Iskandar Military Airport in Pangkalan Bun, Indonesia. According to media reports on August 16, 2015, a plane belonging to the airline has gone missing over Papua. EPA/B

The remains of an Indonesian airplane with 54 people on board that went missing in Papua region have been found, authorities have confirmed.

The vehicle disappeared while en route from Sentani Airport (Jayapura, the capital of Papua in Indonesia) to the town of Oksibil in Papua's south.

According to Transportation Ministry spokesman Julius Barata, the Trigana Air ATR 42-300 turboprop lost contact just 33 minutes after taking off.

Indonesia's BASARNAS (National Search and Rescue) Agency wrote on Twitter had started a search for the plane. The operation, however, was suspended as dusk fell in that part of the globe.

Prior to the announcement that the wreckage was discovered, reports that the plane crashed had not yet been officially confirmed.

In December, an Indonesian AirAsia plane crashed in the Java Sea while flying from Surabaya to Singapore, leaving all 192 on board dead.

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