Indonesian police plane with 13 people on board goes missing

An Indonesian police plane with 13 people on board went missing on Saturday, reports said. The twin-engine plane was en route to the island of Batam, south of Singapore, police said.

A police report obtained by news agency Reuters said that the plane is thought to have crashed between the islands of Mensanak and Sebangka or Gentar.

Items have apparently been identified as belonging to the missing aircraft have been recovered by search teams, the report said.

The plane lost contact during a flight, authorities said.

The plane, with five crew members and eight passengers, dropped out of contact midmorning about 50 minutes after taking off from Bangka island off the southeast coast of Sumatra island, a police statement said.

National Search and Rescue Agency chief Henry Bambang Soelistyo said rescuers were searching seas between Mensanak and Sebangka islands.

He said villagers had found a seat and a bag containing a cellphone and police documents.

(With inputs from agencies)