Gunmen kill two pilots in Indonesia’s Papua, aid workers evacuated

Gunmen shot and killed two pilots moments after their plane landed in a remote district of Indonesia’s South Papua province, officials said, prompting authorities to evacuate teachers and medical workers from the area.

Photo: TB News

PAPUA — The attack occurred on Wednesday at Koroway Batu airfield in Boven Digoel regency. The aircraft, a Cessna Grand Caravan operated by private charter firm Smart Air, was carrying 13 passengers from Tanah Merah when it came under fire shortly after landing at 11:05 a.m. local time (0205 GMT).

“Immediately after landing, the aircraft was shot at,” Lukman F. Laisa, Director General of Civil Aviation at the Transport Ministry, said in a statement.

The pilot, identified by authorities as Egon Erawan, and co-pilot Baskoro Adi Anggoro were killed in the attack. The 13 passengers, including one infant, were unharmed, according to the security task force Damai Cartenz.

“The passengers are safe and in good health,” task force spokesperson Yusuf Sutejo said, adding that security forces were preparing operations to pursue the attackers and seeking additional personnel for the area.

Authorities have described the perpetrators as an armed criminal group, a term the Indonesian government uses for separatist fighters operating in Papua.

Following the attack, officials moved to withdraw essential workers from the district amid concerns of further violence.

On Thursday, a Mission Aviation Fellowship aircraft evacuated nine people — six teachers and three nurses — from Yaniruma district to Sentani airport in Jayapura, police said.

Boven Digoel Police Chief Wisnu Perdana Putra said the evacuation was a precautionary measure after the incident. The evacuees were later transported to temporary accommodation, and police said the transfer was carried out without incident.

Papua, a resource-rich region on the western half of New Guinea island, has experienced a low-level separatist insurgency since it was incorporated into Indonesia following a 1969 vote overseen by the United Nations. Violence has intensified in recent years, with armed groups frequently targeting security forces, infrastructure projects and small aircraft, which are often the only means of transport in the mountainous region.