Search and rescue teams struggled to reach the site of a plane crash in a remote area of Indonesia Friday afternoon as teams observing the crash site from the air reported seeing signs of life. The Casa 212 turboprop plane, operated by Nusantara Buana Air, was carrying 18 passengers when it went down in the mountains of North Sumatra shortly after leaving the Medan Polonia Airport on Thursday. The flight was bound for the Kutacane district of Aceh province.
Three search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched Thursday night, but bad weather and difficult terrain forced two of the teams to return to Medan. “The rescue teams left Medan last night by truck and got as close to the site as possible and then set out on foot," said Laksamana Daryatmo, head of national rescue operations.
The cause of the crash is unclear. It came a day after 8 people were trampled to death in a stampede on board a ferry boat docked in East Java. According to reports, the KM Kirana IX ferry was docked at the Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya when an oil leak caused an explosion inside the boat. More than 500 panicked passengers rushed to get off the ferry. Authorities say 58 people were injured.
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