Eight people have been confirmed dead after a helicopter crashed in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province, rescuers reported on Thursday, following the discovery of the wreckage in a remote forest area, according to Xinhua news agency and the Indonesian National Police. The helicopter had earlier gone missing before debris was located the same day. Rescue official Lieutenant Colonel Nurrachman Gindha Dradhizya stated that recovery operations were in progress at the crash site. He said four bodies had been evacuated and placed in body bags, while three others remained trapped inside the wreckage. Efforts were still ongoing to locate the final victim.

The aircraft was identified as a PT Matthew Air Airbus H-130 (PK-CFX), and according to the flight manifest cited by Xinhua, it was carrying eight people. Authorities temporarily halted evacuation efforts due to darkness and difficult terrain, with plans to resume operations on Friday morning. Dradhizya added that teams would continue recovery work, including cutting through the wreckage to retrieve the remaining bodies.

The Indonesian National Police said joint rescue teams had entered the active evacuation phase after locating the wreckage in the dense forests of Sekadau. The debris, believed to be part of the helicopter’s tail, was first spotted by an Indonesian Air Force Super Puma helicopter at around 3:25 p.m. local time, about three kilometres from the last known contact point. Edy Prakoso, Deputy for Operations and Preparedness at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), said aerial monitoring had helped identify the likely crash location and that the coordinates had been shared with ground teams to assist in the recovery mission.

Ground teams, supported by local residents, are working through challenging terrain and unpredictable weather conditions to reach the site. Residents had earlier reported hearing an explosion in the Bukit Puntak area. Ambulances have been stationed in nearby Hulu Peniti village to support the ongoing recovery efforts.