12 confirmed dead at Sukhoi crash site

JAKARTA. The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has confirmed that the team dispatched to find passengers of the Sukhoi Superjet 100 has found 12 bodies near the crash site at Mount Salak in Bogor, West Java.

Basarnas chief Vice Marshal Daryatmo said that the bodies were yet to be removed from the crash site.

He said that the team – which comprises 85 members from the Basarnas, the Indonesian Military and the National Police – were currently preparing a helipad near the crash site so the bodies could be removed faster via helicopter.

“The team arrived at the crash site at 10 a.m. We have identified 12 victims, all of whom have been confirmed dead,” Daryatmo told reporters on Friday, adding that the team has not found any survivors.

“On this occasion, we would like to express our deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the victims.”

Coordinating People’s Welfare Minister Agung Laksono, who also attended the press conference, said the government would pay for all hospital and identification costs on behalf of the victim’s families.

“The producer of Sukhoi Superjet 100, as well as its Indonesian partners, also confirmed that it will pay provide financial assistance to all the victims’ [relatives and families]”, Agung said at the Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in East Jakarta.

Agung asked Indonesians and the international community to remain patient, concerning the difficult tasks faced by the team in finding the victims.