Indonesia is searching for a plane suspected of crashing into the sea

A light police plane went missing today with 15 people on board, likely crashing into the sea while en route to Batam island, south of Singapore.

The plane, which took off from Pangkal Pinang town on Bangka island, Indonesia at around 9:30 a.m. today, is believed to have crashed into the sea, between Mensanak and Sebangka or Gentar islands, Reuters reported, citing a police report. The twin-engine light aircraft was an M-28 Skytruck, owned by the Indonesian police.

A search team has recovered items believed to be from the missing plane, such as seats, luggage, documents, and according to the manifest, there were 15 people on board.

Indonesian M-28 Skytruck aircraft. Photo: RiauIslandsPolice

Passenger belongings have also been found, according to Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas). "We have seen debris," Basarnas chief Bambang Soelistyo said, adding that his team was searching an area of ​​200 square nautical miles.

Soelistyo said it was too early to assume there were no survivors, and no bodies of those on board had been found, although there was no information about survivors.

Up to four police vessels searched the area along with naval vessels.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the plane's last radar position was 40 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Pinang, the capital of the Riau Islands.

"With permission from the Indonesian authorities, a SuperPuma helicopter and a Fokker 50 are at the scene, assisting the Indonesians in locating the aircraft," Singapore said. "Two vessels are awaiting permission from Indonesia to assist in the search and rescue efforts."

According to VNE