Jakarta: An Indonesian aircraft with one Australian and one Slovak pilot on board crashed in the country`s remote Papua region on Friday, a company spokesman said, with both men feared dead.
Susi Air`s small Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft crashed in Papua`s Yahukimo district shortly after taking off from Wamena at around noon, carrying fuel and food to a remote area.
"Our aircraft has crashed in Papua. We suspect it was because of the bad weather," Susi Air spokesman Gunanjar said.
Thick fog has prevented a search and rescue team reaching the pilots, whose condition is unknown, but Susi Air said there was little chance they had survived.
Officials said they hoped to reach the site on Saturday morning.
The sprawling Indonesian archipelago relies heavily on air transport and has a poor aviation safety record. Turbulent weather conditions in Papua have caused several accidents in recent years.
Bureau Report
