Two Bodies of ATR Aircraft Victims Brought to Makassar DVI Post

The joint SAR team evacuated the victims of the ATR 42-500 plane crash in Gunung Bulusaraung, Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi, Tuesday (20/1/2026) evening. ANTARA/HO-Basarnas Makassar

Two bodies of victims of the ATR 42-500 plane crash were successfully evacuated from Mount Bulusaraung, Pangkep Regency, to be immediately taken to the Biddokes Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Post of the South Sulawesi Police on Jalan Kumala, Makassar City.

"At 20.30 Witaini's body was immediately taken to Bhayangkara Hospital (Posko DVI Biddokes) in Makassar for identification," said Danrem 141/Tompobulu Brigjen TNI Clif Rumbayan through a video statement at a press conference at the AJU Tompobulu SAR Post, Balocci, Pangkep Regency, South Sulawesi, Tuesday, January 20 reported by ANTARA.

He explained that the process of evacuating the two bodies was hampered several times due to bad weather in the local mountainous area. The two victims were found by a joint SAR team under the ravine of Mount Bulusaraung.

"The description is like yesterday was conveyed from the joint SAR team, the bodies (of the two) we pulled from a depth of approximately 350 meters was carried out by the evacuation team starting at 11.00 Wita yesterday," he said accompanied by the Head of the Standby and Operations of the Basarnas Makassar Andi Sultan.

Because the weather was quite heavy due to rain and strong winds at the location, he said, the evacuation by the SAR team was temporarily stopped and only resumed after the wind speed of 25 knots. The body could only be lifted to the top of the mountain and could be completed at 17.15 Wita.

Furthermore, the evacuation team immediately lowered the body to the AJU Post in Balocci, Tompobulu Village, Tuesday, around 02.00 Wita, and was immediately accepted by the Sulsel Police DVI Team, which was then labeled by the team for about 20 minutes.

"So, this second body was found after the first body was male. This is the second female," he said.

The second victim was confirmed to be a woman found by a joint SAR rescuer team on Monday (19/1) afternoon. The body was in good condition with a prone position and stuck in a tree trunk on the edge of a steep cliff.

"The team saw that it was definitely female. This (was found) in the deepest slope, approximately (depth of the ravine) 400 meters," he said.

For the process of evacuating the bodies of the two victims of the plane crash, he said, since Monday (19/1) after it was confirmed to be in the local mountainous area.

The first victim was confirmed to be a female of the female gender found in a ravine on a hill in the local mountains on Sunday (18/1) by a joint SAR rescuer team. The two bodies are suspected to be crew members of the ATR 42-500 aircraft.

So far, only two bodies have been found in the incident, one male and one female whose identities are unknown, as well as aircraft debris and personal belongings of the victims that were scattered after the unfortunate plane crashed into Mount Bulusaraung. It is recorded that 10 people were on board the plane.