January 20, 2026 | 09:30 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Air Marshal TNI Mohammad Syafii, expressed cautious hope for the survival of victims following the ATR 42-500 plane crash in Maros, South Sulawesi, on January 17, 2026.
The aircraft, carrying seven crew members and three passengers, lost contact mid-flight.
“While realistically there are no survivors expected, we continue to hope for a miracle and for victims who might be found alive,” Syafii said after attending a meeting with Commission V of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
Syafii cited a previous plane accident in which a passenger initially presumed dead was later found alive, despite a temporary cessation of vital signs.
“A passenger was thrown from the aircraft and declared dead, but was rescued alive a few days later,” he recalled, without specifying the location or date of the incident.
Ongoing Search Efforts
Basarnas and joint rescue teams remain focused on locating the eight missing victims and recovering the remaining wreckage to aid the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Committee.
By the third day of the search, two victims were located in the Bulusaraung Mountain area. They were found at separate times and locations, but steep terrain and challenging weather have delayed evacuation.
The victims, a male and a female, have not yet been removed from the crash site.
Rescue teams have also recovered fragments of the aircraft on the southern slope of Bulusaraung, north of the mountain peak. However, the ATR plane’s black box has not yet been located.
Flight Details and Victims
The ATR 42-500 was piloted by Captain Andy Dahananto, with co-pilot Farhan Gunawan and flight operations officer Hariadi.
Two aircraft technicians, Restu Adi P and Dwi Murdiono, and two cabin crew members, Florencia Lolita and Esther Aprilita, were also on board.
The three passengers were employees of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries: Ferry Irawan, a Vessel Monitoring System analyst; Deden Mulyana, a State-Owned Goods Manager; and Yoga Noval, an Aerial Photo Operator.
Basarnas continues to coordinate search and rescue operations under challenging conditions, emphasizing that every effort is being made to recover the victims and gather the necessary evidence to determine the cause of the accident.
Read: List of Plane Crashes Across Indonesia in Last Five Years
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