Aceh police have already mounted a search to find the wreckage of an aircraft said to be from Malaysia which crashed in Sumatra’s Bukit Barisan mountain range, more than 20 years ago.  

Aceh police public relations officer Senior Commissioner Farid Ahmad Saleh said the search party was mounted four days ago and had yet to return to base.

“The land journey to the reported crash site will take at least three days. The place is very remote making radio communication very difficult.

“We have yet to hear anything from the search members," he said when contacted by Bernama .

The search was mounted after local residents hunting for wood in the area reported finding the wreckage of an aircraft with a skeleton still in it.

Farid’s account also negated earlier reports that the wreckage was detected from the air by local police, as the forest there was too dense to be able to make such a discovery.

Farid also denied reports that Aceh police chief Agus Susanto had said as such.

In KUALA LUMPUR,  Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation deputy director Idros Abdul Rahman said the department was willing to work with Aceh authorities on the case if it was confirmed the wreckage was that of a Malaysian aircraft.

“We have all the records and are ready to send our officers to help our Indonesian counterparts on the matter,” he told Bernama when asked about this development.

According to the records, two Malaysian aircraft were reported to have crashed in Aceh, one a Twin Otter in 1989 and the other a Skyvan in 1993.

Both were said to be unable to be located because of the desolate terrain where they crashed.

- Bernama