REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAYAPURA -- Transportation Minister Ignatius Jonan has appreciated the joint rescue team for its performance in searching and evacuating the victims of a crashed airplane in Papua.
"This is an effective joint team because it could make the needed discoveries in less than 48 hours," he said in Jayapura, Papua provincial capital on Tuesday.
He said when the Air Asia met an accident sometime in the past, the evacuation work needed a relatively longer time.
"The government therefore thanks the joint team, the military, police and all parties who have taken parts in the operations," the minister said.
The minister also conveyed condolences to the family members and relatives of the victims, expressing hope that they would accept the fate with sincerity.
"I also hope that the Trigana management would meet the victims' rights and meet its insurance obligation," he added.
The ill-fated ATR aircraft, bearing Flight No. 257, lost contact on Sunday at 2:55 p.m. local time, during its flight from Jayapura to Oksibil, the district capital of Pegunungan Bintang, Papua.
The aircraft, with 49 passengers and five crew members, including Pilot Hasanudin and co-pilot Aryadi, was due to arrive in Oksibil at 3:15 p.m. Eastern Indonesian Time after a 55-minute flight but failed to make its scheduled landing.
Rescuers successfully discovered all 54 bodies which fell victims of the accident and found its black box on Tuesday.
However, the evacuation process was halted on Tuesday due to bad weather and will be continued on Wednesday.
The efforts to evacuate the 54 people onboard the Trigana Airways aircraft were hampered by the extreme weather on Monday and Tuesday, Chief of the Pegunungan Bintang district police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Yunus Wally added.
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