5 Injured as Indonesia Rescue Chopper Crashes

A National Search and Rescue Agency helicopter crashed off Marina Beach in Semarang on Wednesday during a training drill, leaving four people seriously injured.

“The helicopter was taking part in a rescue drill that involved free jumping to rescue people in a sea disaster during the rainy season, like now,” said Marsono, the head of operations for the Semarang Search and Rescue Agency.

All five people aboard the helicopter were injured, including four seriously. They were pilot Capt. Marsidi, co-pilot First Lt. Wahyu Ardhi and search and rescue team members Noor Isrodin and Slamet Wijayana. Jump instructor Mikael escaped with minor injuries.

“When the MBO-105 helicopter went down, the SAR members participating in the training exercise rushed to rescue the pilots and passengers,” Marsono said.

He added that all five were taken to Dr. Kariadi General Hospital in the Central Java capital.

Slamet Riyadi, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said the helicopter was taking part in a rescue training drill involving 44 search and rescue members from Jakarta, Semarang, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi.

“The helicopter was in good shape and the weather was clear,” said Slamet, adding that the cause of the accident was still under investigation.

Marsono said a mechanical failure or bad weather were unlikely to have played a part in the accident.

“It might have been caused by human error,” he said.

He said the training exercise, originally scheduled to run from Nov. 6 to 26, could be halted for a week as authorities remove the wreckage of the helicopter from the beach and try to determine the cause of the crash.

“We have already moved parts of the helicopter, including its propeller and a few body parts, up the beach,” Marsono said.

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