Plane with 5 aboard reported missing in Indonesia's Papua

A small plane with five people on board has gone missing in Indonesia's easternmost province of Papua.

Melkianus Kutta, head of the local search and rescue agency, said the aircraft from PT Associated Mission Aviation went missing on a short flight from Wamena, the capital of the mountainous district of Jayawijaya, to Derakma in neighboring Nduga district.

He said the Pilatus Porter PC-6 took off at 11:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) and lost contact minutes before it was scheduled to land at around 11:25 (0425 GMT).

On board the aircraft were two pilots, one Indonesian and one from the Netherlands, along with three Indonesian passengers.

Flying is one of the main transportation means in the mountainous and jungle clad easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua.