DENPASAR (AP) – Two Australian and three Indonesian nationals survived after a tourist helicopter crashed in Bali, due to being entangled in a kite string, officials said yesterday.
The Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter, owned by PT Whitesky Aviation, came down in Pecatu village in the coastal area on the Southern side of Bali, a statement from Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry said.
Photos circulated by Indonesia’s Search and Rescue Agency showed the helicopter with five people on board – including the crew and passengers – crashed on a limestone cliff. “All victims could be evacuated safely,” said a written statement from the agency in Bali yesterday. Three of them were taken to a hospital for further treatment.
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago nation of about 270 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents in recent years, including plane crashes and ferry sinkings.
Authorities said a team is being sent to the crash site for further investigation.
