Debris at the site of a helicopter crash in Sekadau regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, April 16, 2026. Picture taken through a window. Photo: Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS)/Handout via Reuters
The Airbus H130 helicopter lost contact on Thursday morning five minutes after taking off from a plantation area in Melawi, Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia's rescue agency, said.
"The location of the crash or loss of contact is in a densely forested area with steep hilly terrain," Syafii said, saying rescuers had found debris suspected to be the tail of the helicopter approximately 3 km (2 miles) west of where contact was lost.
The cause of the crash remains unclear. A spokesperson from the local rescue agency said the six passengers and two crew members onboard had died in the crash.
Rescuers, including military and police personnel, were trying to reach the crash site via land routes on Friday. The plantation area was owned by an Indonesian palm oil company, Citra Mahkota, and the helicopter belonged to Matthew Air Nusantara, Syafii said.
