A helicopter with 8 people aboard loses contact in Indonesia's Borneo island

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A helicopter carrying eight people lost contact in a forest in Indonesia’s tropical island of Borneo eight minutes after takeoff, officials said Monday.

The Airbus BK117 D-3, owned by Eastindo Air, departed from the airport in Kotabaru district in Indonesia's South Kalimantan province at 08:46 a.m. Monday on its way to Palangkaraya city in Central Kalimantan province.

It was supposed to be arrived in Palangkaraya at 10:15 a.m. Its last contact with air traffic control was at 08:54 a.m.

Banjarmasin Search and Rescue Agency received a report about the missing aircraft at 12:02 p.m., said I Putu Sudayana, the head of the agency.

He estimated that the helicopter, carrying one pilot, one engineer and six passengers, lost contact at the Mantewe forest area in Tanahbumbu district.

Search and rescue teams were sent by land and air, including a helicopter used for fighting fires, he said.

“Hopefully today we can find the location and we hope to find them safe and sound,” Sudayana said.