Jakarta - A small plane with 16 people on board went missing in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua on Sunday, the state Antara news agency reported. The Twin Otter plane, belonging to the state-owned Merpati Nusantara Airline, was travelling from Sentani airport in the provincial capital of Jayapura, to Bintang district's Oksibit airport, Antara said.
The plane was reportedly carrying 13 passengers, including two children, and a crew of three, when it took off at about 10:15 am local time, for a one-hour of journey. But the plane lost contact with the airport's tower 13 minutes after it left the Sentati airport.
Merpati's sales manager in the Papua capital Jayapura, identified only as Nugi, was quoted as saying that a search was underway for the missing plane.
Jungle-clad Papua relies on air transport owing to limited road networks.
