Hunt: Indonesian search and rescue agencies are hunting for a Trigana passenger plane that went missing over the remote eastern Papua region, with 54 people on board
The Trigana Air ATR 42-300 turboprop plane failed to arrive at its destination of Oksibil as scheduled after contact was lost with the plane, according to the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS).
According to the agency's official Twitter account, the domestic aircraft, belonging to the Indonesian Trigana Air Service, was carrying 44 adult passengers, five crew and five children and infants.
Search area: The plane took off from Sentani airport in the region's capital Jayapura on a flight to Oksibil, located south of the city, but failed to arrive at its destination
But it is reported to have lost contact 33 minutes after take-off, just before 3.00pm (6.00am GMT).
The flight between Sentani airport and Oksibil should take around 45 minutes.
Transport ministry spokesman J.A. Barata confirmed the plane had lost contact and said it was supposed to arrive at Oksibil airport just after 3:00 pm.
'We are not sure what happened to the plane yet and we are coordinating with local authorities,' he told AFP.
'The weather is currently very bad there, it's very dark and cloudy. It's not conducive for a search. The area is mountainous.'
The government has reported that it is coordinating with other authorities to implement the search operation.
An AirAsia passenger jet crashed en route from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore last December, killing all 162 people on board. The crash prompted the government to introduce regulations aimed at improving safety.
Indonesia's president promised a review of the ageing air force fleet in July after a military transport plane crashed in the north of the country, killing more than 100 people.
Comment: Indonesian plane carrying 54 people crashes in Oktabe, Papua