Jayapura (ANTARA) - A Smart Air Caravan aircraft crashed into coastal waters off Nabire District in Central Papua on Tuesday while en route to Kaimana District in West Papua, carrying 15 people, including passengers and crew.
The single-engine turboprop, registered as PK-SNS, went down shortly after takeoff for reasons that were not immediately clear.
“We can confirm that a Smart Air plane flying from Nabire to Kaimana crashed into coastal waters. All passengers are reportedly safe,” Nabire Police Chief Senior Commissioner Samuel Tatiratu told ANTARA.
The incident occurred amid the ongoing investigation into the fatal crash of an ATR 42-500 aircraft operated by Indonesia Air Transport in the Bulusaraung Mountains in South Sulawesi on January 17.
All seven crew members and three government employees on board were killed, and their bodies have since been evacuated.
