ATR Aircraft Victim Successfully Evacuated by Air

RRI.CO.ID, Pangkep – The joint Search and Rescue (SAR) team successfully evacuated another victim of the ATR 42-500 aircraft crash on the fifth day of operations. The evacuation was carried out via air using a helicopter, aided by favorable weather conditions in the Lampeso Mountains, South Sulawesi on Wednesday, January 21, 2026.

Andi Sultan, Head of Operations and Alertness for the Class A National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) Makassar, revealed that the team deployed early in the morning after weather conditions were deemed safe.

"Thank God, the weather today was very supportive, allowing us to execute the evacuation as planned," he said.

The Basarnas Dolphin helicopter, registration number HR-3601, departed from Makassar for the evacuation site at 7.47 a.m. local time. Upon reaching the target coordinates, the victim was immediately extracted using a hoist method due to the difficult and inaccessible terrain.

Once successfully recovered, the victim was brought aboard the helicopter and flown to the nearest airbase for further processing. The helicopter landed safely in Makassar at 8.15 a.m. local time.

"Following the landing, the victim was immediately handed over to the DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) team for formal identification. There were no significant obstacles during this evacuation process," remarked Andi. "The weather was a major help, ensuring all stages of the evacuation went smoothly."

Basarnas has since redeployed personnel into several search teams. The joint forces, consisting of Basarnas, the Indonesian Military, the National Police, and other SAR volunteers, will continue to scour the area around Lampeso. The sweep is focused on locations where there is a high potential for finding more victims.

"Teams one and two are continuing the search from Post 9, combing the vicinity where previous remains were discovered. We are adding personnel gradually through a rotation system to maintain the team's physical condition," he added.

Despite having faced challenges from thick fog with zero visibility in previous days, the search continues. "We will re-examine potential sites as we did on the previous days," he said.

This evacuation is part of the SAR operation for the ATR 42-500 aircraft, registration PK-THT, which crashed in the mountainous region of South Sulawesi.

The aircraft, carrying 10 people on a chartered ministerial mission, crashed along the Yogyakarta-Makassar route on Sunday, January 11, 2026. As of now, the SAR team has successfully evacuated two bodies from the crash site for further identification. (Annaila Azzahra/Bambang MBKA)