Boy 12, sole survivor of plane crash

A 12-year-old boy has been found alive in the wreckage of a plane crash which killed eight people in Indonesia.

Photos from the scene show the boy conscious and looking at the camera.

He was found with the wreckage on a mountainside near the border with Papua New Guinea on Sunday morning.

The Swiss-made Pilatus aircraft he had been traveling in lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday afternoon, shortly before it was due to land at Oksibil airport.

The plane, owned by private charter Dimonim Air, had been traveling from Tanah Merah, about 40 minutes flight south, to Oksibil in the province of Papua when it went down.

It was carrying nine people, including two crew members.

According to news agency AFP, nearby villagers heard a “loud roar followed by an explosion”.

An investigation into the cause of the crash will be carried out, officials said.

Planes are one of the only ways to get around Papua province, a remote and mountainous region which is extremely difficult to navigate.

However, its rapidly changing weather conditions mean it is not an easy place to fly.

Three years ago, a Trigana Air twin turboprop plane came down near to Oksibil, killing all 54 on board.