Search for crash victims called off

JAKARTA: Indonesian officials have called off the search for victims of a Russian jet crash, the operation’s head said as experts continue their probe into why it flew into a dormant volcano,

The new Sukhoi Superjet 100 slammed into Mount Salak on May 9 with the loss of all 45 passengers and crew on board. Body parts were flung over dense forest and down a deep ravine.

As experts analyse data from the plane’s cockpit voice recorder for clues as to why it crashed during a demonstration flight, officials called off the search for victims.

“The national rescue agency called off the search on Friday as we’d recovered as many body parts as we could,” Colonel Anton Mukti Putranto said yesterday.

A DNA identification process is still under way at the Kramat Jati Police Hospital here. — AFP