The turboprop ATR 42-500 aircraft, operated by Indonesia Air Transport, vanished from radar while en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, according to Transportation Ministry spokesperson Endah Purnama Sari.

The plane’s last known position was recorded at 1:17 PM local time (4:17 PM AEDT) in the Leang-Leang region, a mountainous area within the Maros district of South Sulawesi.

Sari explained that extensive search and rescue operations have been launched, involving air force helicopters, drones, and ground units to locate the missing aircraft.

Prospects of finding the wreckage improved when hikers on Mount Bulusaraung reported spotting debris scattered across the area, including items bearing the logo of Indonesia Air Transport, as well as small fires still burning.

“These reports have been communicated to the authorities and are currently being verified by rescue teams trying to reach the site,” stated Major General Bangun Nawoko, the military commander of South Sulawesi’s Hasanuddin region.

Sari added that the disappearance occurred shortly after air traffic control instructed the plane to adjust its approach alignment.

“After the last ATC instructions, radio contact was lost and controllers declared the emergency distress phase.”

She said rescue teams focused their search on the mountains where the aircraft, with eight crew members and three passengers from the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry aboard, was believed to have deviated from its approach to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport.

Steep terrain at Bulusaraung National Park linking Maros and Pangkep districts complicated the search efforts, Nawoko said.

Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trenggono told a news conference late Saturday that three employees of his ministry were aboard the flight as part of an airborne maritime surveillance mission supporting Indonesia’s fisheries management operations.

Indonesia, the world’s largest archipelago nation with more than 280 million people, relies heavily on air transport and ferries to connect its over 17,000 islands.