Plane with 16 people on board crashes in W. Indonesia

JAKARTA - A plane carrying 16 police personnel has crashed in waters off Batam, western Indonesia, and several bodies of the personnel and wreckage of the aircraft have been recovered, rescuers confirmed on Sunday.

The M28 Skytruck plane, owned by Indonesian police, lost contact on Saturday when it was flying over waters off the island, Marsudi, spokesman of the national search and rescue office said.

"The plane has crashed. Some rescuers have returned with three body bags containing bodies of the victims. Several parts of the plane have also been recovered," he told Xinhua by phone.

The crash site has been found. Over 300 soldiers, police, those from local search and rescue offices, and volunteers are searching for the major wreckage of the aircraft.

The plane was en route from Pangkal Pinang city to Batam island in Kepulauan Riau province, Marsudi said.