Eight people killed in helicopter crash in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan, authorities say

JAKARTA (Reuters): All eight people on board a helicopter were killed when it crashed ​in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, authorities ‌said on Friday as search teams tried to retrieve the bodies and wreckage.

The Airbus H130 helicopter ​lost contact on Thursday morning five minutes ​after taking off from a plantation ⁠area in Melawi, Mohammad Syafii, the head ​of Indonesia’s rescue agency, said.

“The location of the ​crash or loss of contact is in a densely forested area with steep hilly terrain,” Syafii said, ​saying rescuers had found debris suspected ​to be the tail of the helicopter approximately 3 ‌km (2 ⁠miles) west of where contact was lost.

The cause of the crash remains unclear. A spokesperson from the local rescue agency said the ​six passengers ​and two ⁠crew members onboard had died in the crash.

Rescuers, including military and ​police personnel, were trying to reach ​the ⁠crash site via land routes on Friday. The plantation area was owned by an ⁠Indonesian ​palm oil company, Citra Mahkota, ​and the helicopter belonged to Matthew Air Nusantara, Syafii ​said.