Pilot AKP Arif Rahman Saleh Still Missing, Search For The NBO-105 Helicopter Extended 3 Days

Illustration of a helicopter belonging to Korpolairud Baharkam Polri. (Antarananews-Novi H)

The joint SAR team has extended search and evacuation operations for the P-1103 helicopter crash for the next three days. The helicopter belonging to the Korpolairud Baharkam Polri crashed in the waters of Manggar, East Belitung, Bangka Belitung.

Head of Pangkal Pinang Class B Search and Rescue Office, I Made Oka Astawa, said the SAR operation was extended to find the whereabouts of pilot AKP Arif Rahman Saleh.

"There is one victim who is still being searched, namely AKP Arif Rahman Saleh," he said in Manggar, Sunday, December 4, quoted from Antara.

The team estimates that currently pilot AKP Arif Rahman Saleh is still on the fuselage because he is still bound by a safety belt or seat belt.

"The alleged victim is still on the plane," he said.

Oka added, previously on the seventh day of the search, the team maximized the search by deploying 20 divers.

"The rescue was carried out at seven predetermined points," he said.

He said, besides that, searches were also carried out by air using police helicopters, searching above sea level using 20 ships and searching under sea level using three ships from the Navy Pushidrosal.

"Undersea search uses electronic equipment such as MBES, SSS and magnetometers by covering an area of about 50 percent of what is planned," he said.

He hopes that the presence of the P-1103 Police helicopter pilot AKP Arif Rahman Saleh can be found soon.

"We hope to find it soon because we suspect the victim is still on the plane," he said.

The NBO-105 helicopter or P-1103 Polri was reported to have lost contact in the waters of Manggar, East Belitung on Sunday, December 27.

The helicopter flew from Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan to Tanjung Pandan.

Three of the four crew members have been found, namely Bripda Khoirul Anam, First Brigadier Mochamad Lasminto, and Aipda Joko Mudo.

Currently, the joint SAR team is still looking for the whereabouts of the pilot, namely AKP Arif Rahman Saleh.