Up to 27 people are thought to have died in a plane crash off the coast of Indonesia.
The Merpati propeller-driven plane was en route to the province of Papua when it crashed into the sea.
So far 15 bodies have been recovered by search and rescue teams.
‘We're still checking on the passengers' situation,’ said Bambang Ervan, a spokesman for the transport ministry. ‘We also don't know what caused the accident, but the weather was pretty bad at the time.’
Local media, quoting airport officials, said the plane, a MA60 made by China's AVIC International, had crashed 500m short of the runway and 15 bodies had been recovered so far.
Several small domestic carriers serve Indonesia and many have poor safety records.
The European Commission, which had barred all Indonesian airlines from its airspace, lifted a ban in 2009 on Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia after it improved safety standards.
