A search operation is ongoing for an Indonesian transport aircraft carrying 10 people

According to rescue officials, the Indonesia Air Transport turboprop aircraft departed from Yogyakarta and was en route to Makassar on Sulawesi Island.

Indonesian authorities are searching for a plane carrying three government employees and seven crew members that lost contact on Saturday, officials said.

According to rescue officials, the Indonesian Air Transport turboprop plane departed from Yogyakarta and was headed to Makassar City on Sulawesi Island.

Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono told a press conference that the three employees from the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries were on a mission to conduct aerial monitoring of resources in the area.

The airline said seven crew members were also on board. Contact with the plane was lost shortly after 1:00 pm (0600 GMT).

Muhammad Arif Anwar, head of the local search and rescue agency, told AFP that teams had been dispatched to a mountainous area in Maros Regency, which borders Makassar, near the plane’s last known location.

He said the ground and air search involved the air force, police, and volunteers.

Andi Sultan, operations chief of the Makassar Search and Rescue Agency, said helicopters and drones were being used to search for the plane.

The aircraft manufacturer, French company ATR, said it had been informed of an “accident” involving one of its planes.

“ATR specialists are fully engaged to assist both the Indonesian authorities and the operator in their investigation,” the company said in a statement.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago in Southeast Asia, relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands. The country has a poor aviation safety record, with several fatal crashes in recent years.

Last September, a helicopter carrying six passengers and two crew members crashed shortly after taking off from South Kalimantan province, killing all on board.

Less than two weeks later, another helicopter crashed in the remote Ilaga district of Papua, killing four people.