17 Aug 2015

Plane wreckage found in Papua

9:03 am on 17 August 2015

The wreckage of a missing passenger plane in Indonesia's Papua region has been found.

It had 54 people on board.

A transport ministry official says the turboprop plane, which was operated by the domestic Trigana Air Service, has been found in the district of Oktabe, in the eastern Papua region.

Access for search and rescue teams is expected to be difficult, as the terrain is mountainous and densely forested.

The plane had lost contact with air traffic control late last night as it flew from Jayapura to Oksibil.

A Trigana Air Service spokesperson says ten minutes before it was due to land, the plane's captain asked to descend.

But it never arrived.

Indonesia's Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan (C) speaks during a press conference in Jakarta.

Indonesia's Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan (C) speaks during a press conference in Jakarta. Photo: AFP