Eight people killed in helicopter crash in Indonesia's West Kalimantan, authorities say

Jakarta: 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, Mohammad Syafii, the head of Indonesia's rescue agency, said.

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"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 3 km (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.

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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.