Helicopter crashed three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, the popular tourist area where the eruption on Sunday injured at least 10

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

A rescue helicopter crashed while heading to help evacuate residents near an active volcano on Indonesia’s main island, killing all eight people on board, officials said on Monday.



The helicopter crashed about three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, the popular tourist area where the volcanic eruption on Sunday injured at least 10 people. The aircraft reportedly hit a cliff on Butak Mountain in the Temanggung district of Central Java province.

All eight people on board were killed, said Maj Gen Heronimus Guru, deputy operations chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency. “We are now at the Bhayangkara hospital in Semarang,” the Central Java provincial capital where the victims’ bodies were taken, he said.

Brig Gen Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the search agency, told TVOne station in a live interview from Temanggung, that the victims were four navy officers and four rescuers. He also said the Indonesian-made Dauphin AS365 helicopter was airworthy.

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The Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 metres into the sky when it erupted Sunday morning, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The sudden eruption occurred while about 17 visitors were around the crater. Ten people were injured and were treated at a hospital.

Soldiers and police officers were dispatched and local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said. The crater appeared to be quieter on Monday morning, and all visitors to the plateau have been evacuated.

Sileri is the most active and dangerous among 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 metres high and triggered the creation of three new craters.

Dieng Plateau, located in the Central Java district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 metres above sea level.

Around 140 people were reportedly asphyxiated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.</s>(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — A rescue helicopter crashed while heading to help evacuate residents near an erupting volcano on Indonesia's main island, killing all eight people on board, officials said Monday.

The helicopter reportedly hit a cliff about three minutes from arriving at Dieng Plateau, a popular tourist area where a volcanic crater erupted Sunday, injuring at least 10 people.

The Indonesian-made Dauphin AS365 helicopter crashed later Sunday at Butak Mountain in Candiroto subdistrict in Central Java province's Temanggung district

Brig. Gen. Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the National Search and Rescue Agency, said the bodies of all the victims were taken to Police's Bhayangkara Hospital in Central Java's capital of Semarang.

"The helicopter was airworthy," Tito told TVOne station in a live interview Monday from Temanggung, the closest town to the crash site. "There were four crewmen, all navy officers and four rescuers on board the helicopter."

The Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 meters (164 feet) into the sky when it erupted Sunday morning, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The sudden eruption occurred while about 17 visitors were around the crater. Ten people were injured and were treated at a hospital.

Soldiers and police officers were dispatched to the scene, while local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate the area in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said.

Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 meters (656 feet) high and triggered the creation of three new craters.

Dieng Plateau, located in the Central Java district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level.

Some 142 people were reportedly asphyxiated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia – A rescue helicopter crashed while heading to help evacuate residents near an active volcano on Indonesia‘s main island, killing all eight people on board, officials said Monday.

The helicopter crashed about three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, the popular tourist area where the volcanic eruption Sunday injured at least 10 people. The aircraft reportedly hit a cliff on Butak Mountain in the Temanggung district of Central Java province.

All eight people on board were killed, said Maj. Gen. Heronimus Guru, deputy operations chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency. He told The Associated Press, “We are now at the Bhayangkara Hospital in Semarang,” the Central Java provincial capital where the victims’ bodies were taken.

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Brig. Gen. Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the search agency, told TVOne station in a live interview from Temanggung, that the victims were four navy officers and four rescuers. He also said the Indonesian-made Dauphin AS365 helicopter was airworthy.

The Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 metres (164 feet) into the sky when it erupted Sunday morning, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The sudden eruption occurred while about 17 visitors were around the crater. Ten people were injured and were treated at a hospital.

Soldiers and police officers were dispatched and local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said. The crater appeared to be quieter Monday morning, and all visitors to the plateau have been evacuated.

Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 metres (656 feet) high and triggered the creation of three new craters.

READ MORE: Fate unclear of tourists who declined to leave slopes of erupting Indonesian volcano

Dieng Plateau, located in the Central Java district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) above sea level.

Some 142 people were reportedly asphyxiated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.</s>The volcano, known as Sileri Crater, on the main island of Javu erupted earlier today. Witnesses said cold lava, mud and ash spewed 50m into the air when the volcano erupted at 11.30am local time. It is thought 17 tourists were gathered near the volcano when it erupted.

A rescue helicopter sent to the scene crashed killing at least two crew members. Soldiers and police rushed to the scene to help the injured and evacuate the area in case of further eruptions. The helicopter was carrying at least eight people including four crew. According to a senior official at the social affairs ministry the search and rescue helicopter hit a cliff in Temanggung in Central Java province on a mission to oversee the volcanic eruption.

The official Adhy Karyono said: “It is a mountainous area, but it is reachable and our team is already on the ground so we are doing our best to find the other passengers.” Two bodies have been recovered from the scene. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said ten people are being treated in hospital after being caught up in the eruption. Billowing thick plumes of smoke engulfed the area with tourists and residents pictured fleeing the scene.

The island is in the Pacific Ring of Fire with volcanoes in Indonesia among the most active in the region. Sileri is one of the most dangerous of the 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. It last erupted in 2009 creating three new craters and unleashing volcanic material up to 200m high. Tourists flock to the region to explore its ninth-century Hindu temples and landscape.</s>A rescue helicopter has crashed while heading to help evacuate residents near an active volcano on Indonesia’s main island, killing all eight people on board.

The helicopter crashed about three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, the popular tourist area where Sunday’s volcanic eruption at Sileri Crater injured at least 10 people.

The aircraft reportedly hit a cliff on Butak Mountain in the Temanggung district of Central Java province.

All eight people on board were killed, said Major General Heronimus Guru, deputy operations chief of the National Search and Rescue Agency.

The bodies were taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in Semarang, the Central Java provincial capital.

Brigadier General Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the search agency, said the victims were four navy officers and four rescuers. He said the Indonesian-made Dauphin AS365 helicopter was airworthy.

The Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 164 feet into the sky when it erupted, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The sudden eruption occurred while about 17 visitors were around the crater. Ten people were injured and were treated in hospital.

Soldiers and police were dispatched and residents and visitors were asked to evacuate in case of further eruptions. All visitors to the plateau were evacuated.

The crater appeared to be quieter on Monday.

Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 metres (656ft) and triggered the creation of three new craters.

Dieng Plateau, in the Central Java district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 metres (6,600ft) above sea level.

Some 142 people were reportedly suffocated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Latest on the eruption of a volcano on Indonesia’s main island (all times local):

An Indonesian rescue official says the eight people on board a rescue helicopter have been confirmed dead after it crashed while on its way to help with evacuations near a volcano that erupted on Java island.

Brig. Gen. Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the National Search and Rescue Agency, said the bodies of all the victims were taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in the Central Java’s capital of Semarang.

Tito spoke to TVOne station in a live interview from Temanggung, the closest town to the crash site, on Monday morning.

The helicopter had four navy officers and four rescuers on board and reportedly crashed into a cliff about three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, where one of the volcanic craters erupted Sunday. The blast of the Sileri Crater injured at least 10 people.</s>Police officers and a rescuer stand at a path leading to Sileri Crater after it erupted in Dieng, Central Java, Indonesia, Sunday, July 2, 2017. The crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 meters (164 feet) into the sky when it erupted, injuring number of tourists. (Photo: Dwiana Jati Setiaji | AP)

JAKARTA: A helicopter carrying eight people crashed today while on the way to help with evacuations near a volcano that erupted on the main Indonesian island of Java.

Officials didn't know the fate of the people on board, but villagers said they found two bodies at the crash site.

The eruption of the volcano, located in a popular tourist area, injured at least 10 people.

The helicopter from the National Search and Rescue Agency was carrying four crewmen and four rescuers when it crashed near Candiroto village in Central Java province's Temanggung district, Heronimus Guru, the agency's deputy operations chief, told KompasTV.

Guru did not know the fates of those on board, but villagers told the TV station that they found the bodies of two people.

Earlier today, Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 meters (164 feet) into the sky when it erupted, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

He said the sudden eruption occurred at around 11:30 a.m., when there were about 17 visitors around the crater. Ten people were injured and were treated at a hospital.

Soldiers and police officers were dispatched to the scene, while local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate the area in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said.

Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 meters (656 feet) high and triggered the creation of three new craters.

Dieng Plateau, located in the Central Java district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level.

Some 142 people were reportedly asphyxiated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.</s>JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The Latest on the eruption of a volcano on Indonesia's main island (all times local):

An Indonesian rescue official says the eight people on board a rescue helicopter have been confirmed dead after it crashed while on its way to help with evacuations near a volcano that erupted on Java island.

Police officers and a rescuer stand at a path leading to Sileri Crater after it erupted in Dieng, Central Java, Indonesia, Sunday, July 2, 2017. A helicopter carrying eight people crashed Sunday while on the way to help with evacuations near a volcano that erupted on the main Indonesian island of Java. (AP Photo/Dwiana Jati Setiaji)

Brig. Gen. Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the National Search and Rescue Agency, said the bodies of all the victims were taken to Bhayangkara Hospital in the Central Java's capital of Semarang.

Tito spoke to TVOne station in a live interview from Temanggung, the closest town to the crash site, on Monday morning.

The helicopter had four navy officers and four rescuers on board and reportedly crashed into a cliff about three minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, where one of the volcanic craters erupted Sunday. The blast of the Sileri Crater injured at least 10 people.</s>Semarang, C Java (ANTARA News) - Emergency workers have evacuated three people who were killed after a sear and rescue helicopter crashed in Candiroto, Temanggung, Central Java, on Sunday afternoon.



 "We are still conducting evacuation. So far three have been evacuated," Central Java Regional Police Command spokesman Senior Commissioner Djarod Padakova said.



 He could not yet tell the identities of the victims or the total number of victims in the incident.



 A Dauphin helicopter belonging to the Central Java chapter of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) crashed in Temanggung while on its way to help evacuation efforts in Dieng after the eruption of Sileri Crater earlier.



 The helicopter has so far been stationed at Gringsing toll road exit in Batang district to provide help in case needed during Eid holiday.(*)</s>Jakarta, July 3 Two people were killed as a helicopter operated by the Indonesian search and rescue office crashed in Central Java province on Sunday, two officials said. Spokesman of national search and rescue office Marsudi told Xinhua that the incident took place in Canggal village of Temanggung district at about 4 p.m. Jakarta time.

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A rescue helicopter crashes while attempting to evacuate residents near the Dieng Volcanic Complex in Central Java, Indonesia, killing all eight people on board.