Police on December 4, 2016 carry a box believed to contain remains of victims from a plane that went missing in Batam a day earlier. Authorities have recovered body parts and debris in waters where the Indonesian police plane went missing, officials said on Sunday, raising fears over the fate of the 13 who were on board. | Photo Credit: AFP

Indonesian rescuers on Sunday recovered body parts in the sea where a police plane with 13 people aboard is believed to have crashed the previous day.

The light aircraft lost contact Saturday on the way to the island of Batam, which is near Singapore, after taking off from an island off the southeast coast of Sumatra. All those aboard — five crew and eight passengers — are feared dead, officials said.

The M28 Skytruck plane is believed to have plunged into 24-meter (79-foot)-deep waters, said National Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo.

TV footage showed police uniforms and other clothing also were retrieved from the sea.

It exploded after crashing in sea

In Batam, local police chief Brig. Gen. Sambudi Gusdian quoted witnesses as saying they saw the plane explode after it crashed into the sea off Lingga district.

Search teams involving Indonesia’s navy, customs office and maritime police, as well as aircraft from Singapore, were scouring a 518-square-kilometer (200-square-mile) sea area for the wreckage of the aircraft, Soelistyo said. Divers also were deployed.

Second disaster in over a week

It was at least the second air accident in Indonesia in just over a week. On November 24, a Bell 412 EP helicopter from the Indonesian army crashed in Indonesia’s part of Borneo island, killing three and leaving one missing.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelagic nation of more than 250 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents in recent years, from plane and train crashes to ferry sinkings.</s>Body parts found after Indonesian plane with 13 disappears

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers on Sunday recovered body parts in the sea where a police plane with 13 people aboard is believed to have crashed the previous day.

The light aircraft lost contact Saturday on the way to the island of Batam, which is near Singapore, after taking off from an island off the southeast coast of Sumatra. All those aboard, including five crew and eight passengers, are feared dead, officials said.

The M28 Skytruck plane is believed to have plunged into 24-meter (79-foot) -deep waters, said National Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo.

He told a news conference that remains, probably of the victims, were found in the area where villagers earlier retrieved a seat and a bag containing a cellphone and police documents. He added that an oil spill was also found in the area.

TV footage showed police uniforms and other clothing also were retrieved from the sea.

In Batam, local police chief Brig. Gen. Sambudi Gusdian quoted witnesses as saying they saw the plane explode after it crashed into the sea off Lingga district.

Search teams involving Indonesia's navy, customs office and maritime police, as well as aircraft from Singapore, were scouring a 518-square-kilometer (200-square-mile) sea area for the wreckage of the aircraft, Soelistyo said. Divers also were deployed.

It was at least the second air accident in Indonesia in just over a week. On Nov. 24, a Bell 412 EP helicopter from the Indonesian army crashed in Indonesia's part of Borneo island, killing three and leaving one missing.</s>The plane was on its way from Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung province, to Batam in the Riau Islands. (Photo: Representational Image)

Jakarta: An Indonesian police plane carrying 13 people went missing on Saturday on a short domestic flight and is feared crashed, police said, the latest blow to the country's aviation sector.

The M28 Skytruck plane lost contact with air traffic control during what was supposed to be a 1.5 hour flight in western Indonesia.

"Fishermen found clothes, suitcases and air plane seats we fear belong to the plane," national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told AFP.

The plane was on its way from Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Belitung province, to Batam in the Riau Islands.

An earlier police statement said the plane had set off at 9:24 am but that air traffic control lost contact with the plane at 10:15 am. It was carrying five crew and eight passengers.

Indonesia's search and rescue team have been deployed and Singapore said it was also helping as the incident happened close to the city-state. Indonesia has a poor aviation safety record and has experienced several air disasters recently.

Last week, an Indonesian army helicopter crashed on Borneo island leaving three crew dead, while in November a cargo plane crashed in Papua region killing four.
Human remains are found in the sea near where an Indonesian police plane carrying 13 people crashed. The plane was traveling to the island of Batam.