Source: AFP Author: 04/09/2009
Subject Concerned: Plane Crash Cargo
Six people were killed when a cargo plane crashed in the highlands of Indonesia's eastern Papua province on April 9.
The Aviastar Mandiri plane was travelling from the provincial capital Jayapura to Wamena town when it crashed at 7:20am local time while attempting to land, the airline's safety manager Filman told AFP.
It was not carrying ballot materials, as reported earlier, and instead carried only essential goods for sale in the town, which is largely cut off from the rest of the world, he added.
"The plane carried staples such as rice and flour. All six crew members on board died when the plane crashed into a mountain and exploded. The plane was destroyed ... only the tail was left behind," Filman said.
The cause of the crash is being investigated, he added.
Mimika town air transport chief Jonrettob had earlier said the plane was carrying election material including ballot papers and boxes for the general election being held across the country on April 9.
State news agency Antara reported Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu was scheduled to fly on the plane to observe elections in Wamena but had cancelled the plan.
Indonesia, which relies heavily on air links across the archipelago, has one of Asia's worst air safety records.
The European Union banned all Indonesian-registered aircraft from flying over its airspace last year, acting on a report from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which criticised the country's safety standards.