Adam Air: New Traces Found
Wednesday, 10 January, 2007 | 13:00 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Manado: The Manado Search & Rescue (SAR) team moved to Sang Tombolang subdistrict, North Bolaang Mongondow regency, North Sulawesi yesterday (9/1) to follow up on new reports regarding the possible location where the missing Adam Air plane crashed on January 1.

The search by the SAR team—with six civilians and police officers as its members—was carried out after the police received a report that someone saw an aircraft crashed in a forest.

“It was a rattan worker who saw it,” said Sukardi, Head of the Manado SAR team, yesterday.

According to Sukardi, after seeing a part of the aircraft, the worker ran and told a local leader.
This information was then reported to Sang Tombolang Police Department.

Up until 8pm Wita (Central Indonesian Time) yesterday, the group was still in the foothills of Maelang Village, Sang Tombolang Sub District.

It is not yet known for certain whether or not what the rattan worker saw was definitely the missing Adam Air plane.

At the same time, the joint SAR team and the Indonesian Eastern Fleet Command, focused its search for the missing Adam Air plane in Mamuju waters, where Indonesian Naval Vessel (KRI) Fatahillah's sonar signal detected metal undersea.

“But other areas are also being searched,” said the Head of National SAR Command Post for Mamuju, Col. Gatot Purwanto in Mamuju yesterday.

According to him, the search was carried out by KRI Fatahillah, KRI Leuser and KRI Rengat Island.

They were also backed up by the United States' ship USNS Mary Sears, which arrived in Mamuju yesterday.

VERRIANTO MADJOWA | ANWAR ANAS | SANDY INDRA | IRMAWATI