'The Sukhoi Has Been Found'

May 10, 2012


Indonesian rescuers Thursday spotted the wreckage of a missing Russian Sukhoi Superjet that disappeared in mountainous terrain during a demonstration flight with about 50 people aboard.

“The Sukhoi has been found just now,” said Ketut Parwa, search and rescue agency chief for Jakarta, who was coordinating operations. “There is debris spotted by the helicopter, [we have] confirmed it is from the Sukhoi,” he said.

National search and rescue chief Daryatmo said the helicopter’s pilot had spotted wreckage including the Sukhoi logo on the ground.

“We spotted the fragments at the coordinates where we lost contact with the plane,” he told a news conference.

Ali Umri Lubis, spokesman for the search helicopter’s military airbase, said the plane was spotted in the Cijeruk area, near the dormant volcano Mount Salak, close to the city of Bogor in West Java.

Cijeruk is in a mountainous area 2,000 meters above sea level, 80 kilometers southeast of Jakarta. Indonesian officials have said the Sukhoi descended to about 6,000 feet shortly before it vanished.

Juanda, a 41-year-old villager, said he was feeding his chickens on Wednesday when he heard a roar overhead.

“I looked up and saw a huge white plane moving unsteadily just slightly below the mountain summit. It was still way above the trees but veering left and right, and then it disappeared,” he told AFP by telephone from Tenjolaya district, near Mount Salak.

“I heard a sound like firecrackers, but I couldn’t see it anymore.”

By midnight Wednesday, hundreds of rescuers had set up three posts around Mount Salak as they prepared to resume their mission at dawn on Thursday.

Ahmad Rifai, who arrived at the Cidahu rescue base seeking news of his sister, a 30-year-old stewardess who had stood in for a colleague who was supposed to have been on board, broke down as he contemplated her fate.

“Why are rescuers so slow? Why didn’t they start searching for it quickly?” complained Rifai, 48. “If they had been quick, maybe my sister would still be...” he trailed off in mid-sentence.

Yudistira Alex, 43, who had several friends on board, arrived at Cidahu late Wednesday.

“They’re four of my best childhood friends. We are inseparable like brothers,” he muttered between sobs. “I don’t know who to blame, maybe this is fate.”

There were also scenes of grief at the airport in Jakarta late Wednesday, with relatives of passengers sitting on luggage carousels weeping uncontrollably, waiting for information.

Reports of the number on board varied, with local rescue officials saying the plane was carrying 46 people and Trimarga Rekatama, the company responsible for inviting the passengers, saying 50 were on board.

Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency named the captain as Alexander Yablontsev, 57, a veteran pilot.

Agence France-Presse


(read in the JG)

May 11, 2012


Bogor. A new team consisting of 250 members heads on Friday to the remote terrain near Mount Salak to evacuate victims of the Russian Sukhoi jet that crashed on Wednesday.

The new team's focus is to evacuate bodies, a different task from the first team assigned to find the wreckage and search for survivors.

“These 250 officials are assigned to evacuate remains,” said military chief Col. Anton M. Putranto, who is leading the operation. He confirmed that the evacuation team was preparing for the worse case scenario if they were unable to remove the bodies by helicopter.

“They will be carried with stretchers and brought down in a relay system,” he said. “We might need 1000 officers to do the relay.” Twenty-five ambulances are ready at the main post in Cipelang, while eight helicopters are also standing by.

“The road [from the main post] should be cleared to prioritize ambulance traffic,” said Bogor district police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hery Santoso. “We advise people that go to the main post not use vehicles.”



( from the JG)

Terrain, Weather Hamper Evacuation Efforts


May 11, 2012


Bogor. Steep terrain and bad weather have hindered search and rescue member's efforts to reach the wreckage of the Russian Sukhoi jet.

“Puma Helicopters could not descend [below] 4,000 feet [1,219 meters], while the airplane debris are located at 2,800 feet,” Sukhoi Rescue operation Chief Ketut Purwa said on Friday, adding that the steep valley also made it difficult for the helicopters to reach the location.

Rescue teams are also finding it difficult to make their way on foot, as thick fog has reportedly limited sight to a mere 10 meters, forcing some members to return the main post.

Asep Itong, a volunteer, said that 45 minutes from the main post: “the [route] turns very steep and the slope causes the mountain wall touch the chin.”

Some rescuers only climbed to 1,800 feet on Thursday, camped overnight and returned back to the main post on Friday morning as they were logistically unprepared for a prolonged stay in the remote terrain, reports said.

“But the soldiers keep on going with some journalists,” Asep said.

There have been conflicting reports about exactly where rescuers have been — on Thursday, Gagah Prakoso, spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency said some members of the rescue team had found bodies, but were unable to confirm the exact number.

But Rescue Agency head Daryatmo said at a press conference at Jakarta’s Halim Perdana airport on Thursday that ground rescue forces hadn’t yet reached the crash site.

“The ground search and rescue team of 78 people has reached 1,900 meters, quite close to the crash site, but because of the dangerous environment, I called off the search for today,” Daryatmo said. “They are around 700 meters below the crash site.”

The rest of the team, which includes some 52 officials consisting of police, special forces and marines, saw the crash location at 7 a.m. Friday, according to reports.

“The first team is now below the debris of the airplane, but the debris is still out of their reach,” Ketut said.

An evacuation team consisting of 250 members on Friday began to make their way into the remote terrain near Mount Salak to remove bodies from the crash site.


(according to the JG)

Conflicting Reports From Search and Rescue Teams


May 11, 2012


The spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency said 12 bodies have been found at the crash site of the Russian Suhkoi jet on Friday afternoon, after another official from the agency said rescuers had yet to recover any victims. Over the last few hours, officials have reported that search and rescue teams were closing in on the crash site, but were moving slowly over the steep terrain, even as they were within 100 meters.

“Twelve bodies were found, but they have not been identified,” Gagah told Jakarta Globe. “The remains are still at the location and being prepared for evacuation.” The bodies have been put into the body bags, he said.

Earlier on Friday, Agustamim, a radio communication officer with the Rescue Agency said that teams had yet to reach the site of find the and victims. “The evacuation team has not even arrived in the crash point,” Agustamim said. "Please don't make up news," he urged. "Have pity of the victims' families,” he said.

Gagah said that Agustamim might have got his information from a different rescue team. “There are several teams heading to the location,” Gagah said. “He might not have got the information from the team that found the bodies.”

Throughout the rescue process, rescuers have been hampered by poor weather and steep jungle terrain.



(from the JG)

SBY: God Dislikes Misleading Information


May 11, 2012


President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned the National Search and Rescue Agency and related institutions to give clear information about the Russian Sukhoi jet crash.

“Don’t let any misleading information [out],” Yudhoyono said at the Jakarta’s Halim Perdana airport on Friday. “It’s not good, God doesn’t like it. We have to carry the mission out as the best we can.”

His statement came as victim’s families visited the airport. “Families [of the victims] should listen to the right information,” he said. “Media should also inform accurately from the field.”

On Thursday, a news wire service quoted a National Search and Rescue Agency spokesman who said that rescuers had reached the plane wreckage, which was also reported by the Jakarta Globe.

But late Thursday night, the information was revised, and Rescue Agency head Daryatmo said the team had not yet reached the crash site.

Yudhoyono also reminded people to rely on God’s plan for the victims of the crash. “If they can be saved, we will save [them],” Yudhoyono said at Halim Perdanakusuma airport. “Because we don’t know what God’s plan is.”

The President also reminded the public that efforts to rescue the victims had been hampered by bad weather, but ensured that teams would not easily give up.

On Thursday, House Speaker Marzuki Alie also deferred to God, and called the tragic crash an act of fate. “No one can stand in the way of fate,” he said. “It is a fate that could happen to anyone.”



(also from the JG)

De JG heeft een lijst van 45 namen vrij gegeven en de namen van 5 mensen van wie ze niet zeker weten of ze aan boord waren, zie:
lijst van namen

DK