Central Java, Indonesia – On Sunday, July 2, 2017 eight people were killed when a National Search and Rescue helicopter crashed after it hit a cliff on Butak Mountain (Gunung Butak) while en route to the Dieng Plateau in the Temanggung District of the Central Java Province in Indonesia.
The helicopter was conducing a rescue mission to evacuate people after a volcanic eruption at Sileri Crater. On Sunday morning the active volcano “spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 164 feet into the sky” injuring 10 people (NBCNews.com).
The helicopter accident occurred 3 minutes before the Eurocopter AS365 N3 Dauphin reached Dieng Plateau. The victims included 4 navy officers and 4 rescuers. Their bodies were taken the Bhayangkara Hospital.
According to NBCNews.com, the Sileri Crater “is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau.” The area is a popular tourist attraction due to the volcanic terrain and “ninth-century Hindu temples.”
