8 Die in Helicopter Crash in West Kalimantan

All eight people aboard a commercial helicopter died when the aircraft crashed into a dense, forested area in Indonesia's West Kalimantan province on Thursday morning, authorities confirmed Friday.

The Airbus H130 helicopter, operated by PT Matthew Air Nusantara and registered as PKCFX, took off around 8:34 a.m. local time from a palm oil plantation helipad in Melawi district on Borneo Island. It was en route to another plantation in Kubu Raya district near Pontianak when it lost contact approximately five minutes later, near the village of Desa Tapang Tingang. The flight carried two crew members, including the pilot and copilot, and six passengers connected to local plantation operations. Among the victims was one Malaysian national.

Search teams from the National Search and Rescue Agency, known as Basarnas, along with police, military personnel, and local volunteers, launched an immediate operation. An Indonesian Air Force Super Puma helicopter conducted aerial surveillance and located debris, believed to be the tail section, about three kilometers west of the last known position in the Sekadau district's rugged, hilly terrain. Ground rescuers faced challenges from the steep...