Tragedy in Papua: Pilots Perish in Airport Attack

In a tragic incident on Wednesday, a pilot and co-pilot of a small commercial aircraft were killed after coming under fire upon landing in Indonesia's easternmost region, Papua. The Smart Air plane, carrying 13 passengers alongside the crew, touched down at Korowai Airport in Boven Digoel, South Papua Province, just after 11 a.m.

According to local police spokesman Cahyo Sukarnito, the pilots and passengers fled to a nearby forested area when the shooting began. While the passengers escaped unharmed, the crew tragically lost their lives. Questions remain about who carried out the attack, especially concerning the potential involvement of Papuan rebel groups.

Papua has been the site of longstanding conflict between Indonesian security forces and independence-seeking rebels, rooted in the region's contentious absorption into Indonesia following a 1969 UN-supervised vote. The incident underscores the fragile situation in this resource-rich yet strife-torn region. Smart Air has not yet issued a statement on the matter.