A plane carrying Indonesian police personnel crashed off the Batam island south of Singapore on Saturday, presumably killing all 15 passengers on board.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said the last radar contact was when the plane was about 40 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Pinang.
Personal belongings of the passengers and body parts have been partially recovered from the scene of the crash, the rescue agency of Indonesia said. The agency said survivors are unlikely.
The Indonesian Navy has deployed three vessels to carry out search and rescue operations in a 200 square nautical mile area after it was confirmed that that the twin-engine aircraft, an M-28 Skytruck, crashed in waters off Batam. Police said the aircraft crashed between the islands of Mensanak and Sebangka.
Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency said debris of the crash have been found, including items belonging to passengers.
Singapore said it's launching one SuperPuma helicopter and one Fokker 50 on the scene of the crash for rescue operations subject to clearance from the Indonesian authorities, the Rakyat Post reported.
"Two ships are awaiting clearance by the Indonesian authorities to assist in the search and rescue efforts," the portal quoted authorities as saying.
