Asia-Pacific

Indonesia sends black boxes of plane crash to China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-11 13:51

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government was to send data recorder and voice recorder of the black boxes of the Merpati airline's plane that crashed in West Papua on Saturday and killed all the 25 people on board to China for reading on Wednesday, officials said here on Wednesday.

Franswenas, investigator at the Indonesian transport safety committee said that the result of the reading would really help the investigation of the accident in Kaimana gulf.

"Both data recorder and voice recorder will be sent to China today (Wednesday)," he told Xinhua by phone.

But, he said that it could not be ensured whether both recorders could be read.

"Should the recorders can be read, it would be really helpful for the investigation," said Franswenas.

Indonesian authorities have decided to sent the boxes to China as they could not be read in Indonesia, according to Tatang Kurniadi, had of the committee.

Franswenas said that eight experts from China were heading to the scene to help the investigation over the accident.

"We will also hear the result of their investigation," he said.

Rescuers have evacuated all the bodies of 25 people on board, comprising 21 passengers and 4 crews, Bambang Ervan spokesman of the transport ministry told Xinhua.