Eight dead after helicopter crash in Indonesia's West Kalimantan

Helicopter lost contact shortly after take-off from plantation area in Melawi

Debris at the site of a helicopter crash in Sekadau regency, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, Apr 16, 2026. Photo: Reuters

All eight people on board a helicopter were killed when it crashed in Indonesia's West Kalimantan province, authorities said on Friday as search teams tried to retrieve the bodies and wreckage.

The Airbus H130 helicopter lost contact on Thursday morning five minutes after taking off from a plantation area in Melawi, said Mohammad Syafii, head of Indonesia's rescue agency.

"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 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.