Two pilots killed after militants fired upon plane while it was landing
A tragic incident unfolded at Koroway Batu Airport in Papua, Indonesia, on Wednesday (11 Feb) when members of an armed criminal group shot at a passenger plane during its landing.
The attack resulted in the deaths of two pilots, but all 13 passengers on board were unharmed.
Both pilots found dead after being shot in the attack
The plane, a Smart Air Cessna Caravan, was carrying 13 passengers and had touched down at 11.05am local time when shots were fired at it from the direction of the forest.
TV 1 News reported that the incident took place at Koroway Batu Airport in the Boven Digoel, in Papua, Indonesia.
Source: Tribun News on YouTube
The passengers ran away into a nearby forest during the chaos. The pilots, Egon Erawan and co-pilot Baskoro, were shot while trying to catch up with them.
Inspector General Johnny Eddizon Isir, Head of Public Relations for the National Police, revealed that both pilots managed to send emergency messages via a GPS device.
Source: Tribun News on YouTube
Despite that, they later succumbed to gunshot wounds and were found dead near the runway.
Passengers confirmed safe after they fled into forest
Police confirmed that the passengers quickly scrambled out of the plane and fled the scene to escape the attack.
They were later escorted to safety, and no major injuries were reported.
Source: Kompas
Local news media suggest there are strong indications that the attack specifically targeted the aircraft crew.
Authorities are tracking down suspects
The Head of Public Relations for the Damai Cartenz Operations Task Force, Senior Commissioner Yusuf Sutejo, stated that the perpetrators are suspected to be members of an armed criminal group.
Source: deTikNews
However, Senior Commissioner Yusuf was not yet able to provide more detailed information regarding the specific identities of the shooters.
He noted that authorities are currently still pursuing the perpetrators.
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Featured image adapted from detikNews and Tribun News on YouTube.
