Sunday, August 2, 2009:
Plane carrying 15 disappears in Indonesia:
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- A Merpati Nusantara Airlines plane with 15 passengers and crew on board disappeared shortly after takeoff in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, an airline official said.
Among the 13 passengers were 11 adults and two babies, said Nikmatullah, director of operations for the airline. The crew included a pilot and co-pilot.
"The Merpati plane lost contact 10 to 15 minutes after departing from Jayapura," Ministry of Transportation spokesman Bambang Ervan said.
The Cessna aircraft was en route to Oksibil, about 175 miles (280 kilometers) to the south, when authorities lost contact with it, Ervan said.
"The Ministry of Transportation will coordinate and assign a team to look for the plane and the (National Transportation Safety Board) has been alerted to investigate when we find the plane," he said.
The search stopped for the night and will resume in the morning, the Ministry of Transportation said.
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