Indonesia takes charge of Russian jet crash probe

The Indonesian government will take control of the investigation into a Sukhoi Superjet 100 crash, with Russian teams to have their movements limited, vice presidential spokesman Yopie Hidayat said on Tuesday, The Jakarta Post reported. There are three Russian teams - one to help search for and evacuate victims and wreckage, one to help identify the victims and one to help investigate the accident. The teams comprise 68 personnel including rescue and missions specialists and psychologists for the victims’ relatives. “All of these teams are under the coordination of relevant institutions of Indonesia,” he said, adding that the Russian teams had not met with any difficulties in carrying out their tasks in Indonesia. “[The Russian representatives] said they were grateful for the good cooperation provided by Indonesian officers in the field.” All 45 people on board the Superjet 100 were killed when the plane slammed into a steep side of Mount Salak near Jakarta shortly after take-off on a demonstration flight on May 9. A search operation for the victims’ bodies continues despite difficult weather and terrain at the site of the crash, with the flight recorders of the Superjet 100 yet to be discovered. Indonesian aviation officials have said the investigation of the crash may take up to a year. The jet is the first commercial plane to be designed and built in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union two decades ago.