Several passengers injured as plane skids off Indonesia runway
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The ATR-42 aircraft was taking off from an airport in the remote Yapen Islands regency to Papuan capital Jayapura when it skidded off the runway.
PHOTO: INDRA KARUBABA/FACEBOOK
JAYAPURA, Indonesia - A plane with 48 people aboard skidded off the runway in Indonesia’s remote eastern region of Papua on Sept 9, police said, injuring several passengers.
The South-east Asian archipelago has a poor aviation safety record, and Papua is covered in mountainous terrain where flying is hampered by frequent poor weather.
The ATR-42 aircraft belonging to Trigana Air was taking off from an airport in the remote Yapen Islands regency to Papuan capital Jayapura on Sept 9 morning when it skidded off the runway.
The flight was carrying 42 passengers, including a baby, and six crew members.
“Praise God, everybody survived and has been taken to a hospital for a health checkup,” local police chief Ardyan Ukie Hercahyo said in a statement.
“We are investigating the incident and coordinating with related parties to ensure this will never happen again.”
The local search and rescue agency said in a statement that some passengers were injured and traumatised by the incident.
Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands, but Papua is a particularly difficult area to reach.
In 2015, a Trigana Air plane crashed there, killing all 54 people on board. AFP
