Indonesian police plane with 15 on board goes missing
JAKARTA - A twin-engine Indonesian police plane went missing on Saturday with 15 people on board en route to the island of Batam, south of Singapore, police and rescue authorities said, as search teams scoured the area.
The plane, which took off from Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka at around 9.30 a.m. is thought to have crashed between the islands of Mensanak and Sebangka or Gentar, a police report seen by Reuters said.
A search team recovered items apparently identified as being from the missing aircraft, including seats, luggage and documents, the report said, noting that according to the manifest there were 15 people on board.
According to Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), items belonging to passengers had also been found.
