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Rescuers Reach Borneo Helicopter Crash Site, Recover One Body as Seven Remain Missing

Officials say the burned airframe must be dismantled to confirm the number of victims inside.

Overview

  • Search teams reached the wreck in South Kalimantan after three days of operations and found one body roughly 100 meters from the helicopter.
  • The Eastindo Air Airbus BK117 D-3 lost contact eight minutes after departing Kotabaru for Palangkaraya on Monday.
  • Eight people were on board, including three foreign nationals from the United States, Brazil and India.
  • More than 200 personnel and up to five helicopters have been rotating through a roughly 27-square-kilometer search area.
  • Bad weather and difficult jungle terrain have repeatedly limited aerial access, and witnesses reported white smoke and low altitude before the crash.