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7summits
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« on: Mar 28 2003, 20:56 » |
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP): A Twin-Otter plane crashed moments after takeoff Thursday in Indonesia's remote Papua province, killing at least two people on board and injuring seven, an official said.
The chief of Air Regional, an airline based in Central Papua, and an unidentified mechanic died in the crash at a small airport in Mulia town, said the company's operational chief, Franciscus Xaverius Bambang.
A military official said on condition of anonymity that three passengers died and 12 others were injured.
The plane was bound for Keyawaki, another small town in the sprawling province.
The cause of the crash was still unclear, Bambang said, adding that several of the injured were taken to a hospital in the provincial capital, Jayapura.
Mulia lies at the foot of Indonesia's highest mountain, the snowcapped Puncak Jaya, about 3,300 kilometers (2,050 miles) east of Jakarta.
Papua province, formerly known as Irian Jaya, occupies the western half of New Guinea at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago. There are few roads, and air travel is a common form of transport.
It is considered one of the world's most dangerous places to fly. Many areas are mountainous and prone to dangerously low clouds and sudden weather changes.
(Thanks to Americasroof's Roger for pointing this out)
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