epa12877129 Protected forest landscape at the foot of Mount Leuser National Park in the Leuser Ecosystem Area (KEL), designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO?s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and as a buffer zone of Mount Leuser National Park in Nagan Raya, Aceh, Indonesia, 09 April 2026. According to Auriga Nusantara, an Indonesian non-governmental organization focusing on forestry and biodiversity, deforestation in Indonesia reached a total of 433,751 hectares in 2025, an increase of 66 percent compared to the 261,575 hectares recorded in 2024. EPA/HOTLI SIMANJUNTAK The Airbus H130 helicopter lost contact on Thursday morning five minutes after taking off from a plantation area in Melawi, Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia's rescue agency, said.
"The location of the crash or loss of contact is in a densely forested area with steep hilly terrain," Syafii said, saying rescuers had found debris suspected to be the tail of the helicopter approximately 3 km (2 miles) west of where contact was lost.
The cause of the crash remains unclear. A spokesperson from the local rescue agency said the six passengers and two crew members onboard had died in the crash.
Rescuers, including military and police personnel, were trying to reach the crash site via land routes on Friday. The plantation area was owned by an Indonesian palm oil company, Citra Mahkota, and the helicopter belonged to Matthew Air Nusantara, Syafii said.
(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Editing by John Mair)