Indonesian officials reported Thursday rescue teams have located the wreckage of a Russian passenger jet that disappeared from radar screens during its second demonstration flight. Debris from the Sukhoi Superjet 100 and the bodies of several passengers were founded over 5,000 feet up the side Mount Salak, a 7,200 foot volcano in West Java. No survivors have been found.
It appears the aircraft flew straight into a wall of rock. The cause of the crash remains unclear. "An investigation must be done immediately and thoroughly,” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 took off from the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta Wednesday afternoon with 48 passengers on board. It disappeared from radar screens as it traveled near Bogor about 21 minutes into the flight. Authorities say the majority of the passengers were Indonesians. At least eight Russians, two Italians, one American and one French citizen were on board.
The Superjet’s demonstration flights in Indonesia were part of an Asian tour. The aircraft demonstrated in Myanmar, Pakistan and Kazakhstan before Indonesia. It was set to wrap up the tour in Laos and Vietnam. Sukhoi is a Russian company that is known for manufacturing military aircraft. The Superjet 100 is the company’s first commercial aircraft.
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