Helicopter missing with 5 people aboard in western Indonesia

JAKARTA: A helicopter carrying five people has gone missing in western Indonesia, the latest air mishap for the country.

The National Search and Rescue Agency says the Eurocopter EC-130 was on a chattered flight from Samosir island in Toba Lake to North Sumatra's capital, Medan, when it was reported missing Sunday about 17 minutes after it took off. It was carrying two crewmen and three passengers.

A search Monday involving about 200 rescuers was centered on Toba Lake.

Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago nation of about 250 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents in recent years, including plane and train crashes and ferry sinkings.

Earlier this month, a DHC-6 Twin Otter plane crashed in South Sulawesi province, killing all 10 people on board.