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Agence France-Presse

A light aircraft crashed and burst into flames on a beach in eastern Indonesia on Sunday after being hit by lightning, killing all four people on board, an official and eyewitness said.
The Piper Seneca turboprop was flying from the eastern region of Papua to Tual city in the Maluku Islands when it was caught in a storm around midday.
Witness Akib Hanubun said the aircraft was pounded by fierce winds and rain before being hit by lightning and crashing near a village.
“The plane’s left wing broke after it was struck by lightning,” the 47-year-old said.
“Then the plane appeared to tilt to one side before crashing to the ground loudly and bursting into flames.”
He added that rescuers pulled out “four completely charred bodies from the wreckage. It was the most frightening sight”.
Transport ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan confirmed that all four people on board the aircraft were killed instantly.
“They were the pilot, two engineers and a ground handler,” he said, adding he had no further details about the crash at this stage.
The Piper Seneca is produced by US-based Piper Aircraft. The jet that crashed was operated by Intan Angkasa Air Service, according to Ervan.
The company’s website says it supports “the oil and gas, mining, survey, forestry and many other industries” across Indonesia.
Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago, relies heavily on air transport but has one of Asia’s poorest aviation safety records.
In April last year a Lion Air passenger jet carrying 108 people crashed into the sea after missing the runway as it came in to land on the resort island of Bali. No one died but dozens were injured.


Four killed in Indonesian plane crash after lightning strike

Indonesian military remove the crashed Lion Air plane from the sea in Bali last April. Four were killed on Sunday when a Piper Seneca light aircraft was hit by lightning. Photo: EPA

Lion Air jet crashes into the sea off Bali, but all aboard survive

The broken body of the Lion Air plane lies on the water after missing the runway in Bali. Photo: Reuters

The Lion Air plane which crashed off the coast of Bali on Saturday. Photo: AFP

A television shows the Lion Air Boeing 737 jet in the water at Bali's international airport near Denpasar. Photo: AFP

A photo from TV screen of the Lion Air plane crashing into sea in Bali. Photo: Xinhua.

A passenger of the Lion Air plane receives treatment in a hospital in Bali on Saturday. Photo: Xinhua

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Asia