13 killed as Indonesian army helicopter crashes in jungle of Borneo
ABC
November 9, 2013, 11:25 pm
Thirteen people have been killed after an Indonesian army helicopter carrying construction workers to build a military outpost crashed in the jungles of Borneo.
The helicopter was carrying eight crew, 13 construction workers and materials when it appeared to suffer engine trouble and fell from the sky.
The Russian-made, Mi-17 aircraft was completely burnt out following the accident in a remote part of Malinau district, North Kalimantan province, military spokesman Iskandar Sitompul said.
It was just the latest deadly aircraft accident in the sprawling Indonesian archipelago, which relies heavily on air transport to link its many islands but has one of Asia's poorest aviation safety records.
"Thirteen people died in the crash while the rest suffered burn injuries," Mr Sitompul said.
"There was engine trouble and the helicopter lost power," he said, adding that it "fell with a thump this morning and a fire started".
An army spokesman, Rukman Ahmad, confirmed a crash had taken place: "An Mi-17 helicopter was involved in an accident near outpost Bulan. It was carrying construction workers to build the outpost."
Mr Sitompul says eight of those who died were civilian construction workers, while five others were crew members, who were military personnel.
The military had started evacuating the survivors, he added.
The area near the Malaysian border is so remote it can only be reached by helicopter, an AFP reporter on Borneo said.
Borneo is a vast, biodiverse island shared between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, covered in lush jungle and home to rare animals such as orangutans.
AFP
