Banjarmasin, September 5, 2025 – A joint search and rescue team has located the wreckage of an Eastindo Air BK117-D3 helicopter that crashed in the Meratus Mountains, Mantewe District, Tanah Bumbu Regency, South Kalimantan Province, on Monday, September 1, 2025.
The helicopter departed from Kotabaru, South Kalimantan, en route to Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, carrying eight passengers. Among them were three foreign nationals and five Indonesians, identified as Eng Hendra, Mark Werren, Yudi Febrian, Andys Rissa Pasulu, Santha Kumar, Claudine Quito, and Iboy Irfan Rosa.
In a press conference, South Kalimantan Governor H. Muhidin confirmed that of the eight passengers, five victims were found relatively intact, while three others were in severely damaged condition.
“Last night, all victims were successfully evacuated to Bhayangkara Hospital. The passengers included nationals from Brazil, Australia, and India, as well as Indonesia. Their remains will be repatriated to their home countries and handed over to their respective families,” Governor Muhidin stated on Friday (September 5).
Basarnas Director of Operations, Rear Admiral Yudhi Bramantyo, explained that the helicopter, piloted by Captain Haryanto, lost contact at 08:46 a.m., shortly after departure, and was declared missing by 08:54 a.m.
“The aircraft was scheduled to land in Palangkaraya at around 10:15 a.m., but communication was lost mid-flight. SAR teams from Banjarmasin and Palangkaraya quickly set up a command post at Syamsudin Noor Airport to coordinate search operations,” he said.
Search efforts initially focused on aerial operations, but poor weather conditions, including fog and heavy rain, hampered visibility. The breakthrough came on Thursday when ground teams comprising Basarnas, TNI-Polri, and volunteers located the crash site.
“The evacuation was extremely challenging due to 70-degree cliffs and dense forest. Our teams had to clear pathways before reaching the wreckage. Despite heavy rain, we completed the evacuation by 22:10 last night, and the black box was also recovered,” Yudhi added.
South Kalimantan Police Chief, Inspector General Rosyanto Yudha Hermawan, confirmed that the DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) team had been working in parallel with the rescue operation.
“Our DVI and psychology teams collected ante-mortem data from the victims’ families, and today we are receiving support from the National Police Medical and Health Center (Pusdokkes Mabes Polri) to ensure proper identification,” he said.
Authorities have yet to disclose the specific purpose of travel for the foreign nationals aboard the helicopter. Tim
