A plane searching for an Indonesian passenger aircraft that went missing in the remote eastern province of Papua with 54 people on board at the weekend on Monday spotted debris, an official said.

"Early this morning, a plane swept the route and sighted debris in an area near Oksibil, but we want to double check now," transport ministry spokesman J. A. Barata told AFP. The plane disappeared as it headed to Oksibil from Papua's capital Jayapura.