Indonesia’s state news agency reported on Thursday that efforts to reach a wrecked Russian jetliner in the chilly slopes of Jakarta were futile. According to the news report, the overwhelming fog and the impossible terrain suppressed rescuers efforts. The rescue operations continued to push into Friday.
Daryatmo, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, revealed that the Sukhoi Super Jet 100 crashed at Mount Salak, a volcano located south of Jakarta. Darytamo confirmed that the coordinates of the wreck were known. He however went on to state that the physical wreckage had not yet been accessed due to inevitable conditions- fog and an incredibly high steep at Mount Salak.
According to the Russian Investigative committee, 48 people had boarded the plane. Of the 48, 8 were Russian crew members. RIA Novosti, a Russian news agency however cited a different number and argued that there were 45 people on board. Novosti’s standpoint was backed by Vladimir Prisyazhnyuk, the civil aviation president, whose report revealed that 3 people slated to board the plane never boarded it.
Gagah Prakoso who happens to be a spokesman for the rescue agency cited that signs of survivors were slim if not nil. He also said that the bodies would be airlifted by helicopter.
Daryatamo exclaims that the Sukhoi logo was instrumental in tracking down the plane which had inexplicably gone off radar last Wednesday. He says that the logo was the only identifiable thing in the debris.
Although there is no conclusive standpoint on the exact cause of the crash, the Russian investigative committee was insistent that it had established a criminal probe on the whole issue. The probe is motivated towards unearthing any possible safety violations.
According to RIA Novosti, this is the first crash of a Sukhoi Super Jet 100. This jet was part of the 12 super jets that were secured by Sky Aviation in a 2011 deal that supposedly saw Sky Aviation fork out an outstanding $380 million.
Apparently, the jet was doing a routine demonstration flight at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta when things went haywire during the second flight demonstration. The Plane supposedly went off the radar at 6200ft above sea level at some mountainous region south of Jakarta. The loss of contact took place at 1412 hours-21 minutes after taking off. The two helicopters that were promptly sent came back without positive feedback after exceedingly strong winds and unpredictable weather bottlenecked their efforts.
