REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDAN -- The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has provided one chopper in a bid to search four passengers of a helicopter, which had gone missing in Lake Toba, North Sumatra.

"We have long prepared a helicopter to search four passengers of the missing chopper, but due to the thick haze constraint, the stand-by helicopter cannot be operated," public relations officer of Medan Search and Rescue (SAR) office Hisar Turnip stated here on Thursday.

"So far, an integrated SAR team consisting the personnel of Army, Navy, Police and the Basarnas have focused their attention to seek the missing passengers on the waters of Lake Toba," Turnip said.

Meanwhile, one passenger of a helicopter, which had gone missing in North Sumatra, was found alive on Tuesday at 1 p.m. local time.

The survivor was identified as Fransiskus Subihardayan, an employee of PT Penerbangan Angkasa Semesta (PAS), which owns the ill-fated chopper, spokesman of the North Sumatra police Senior Commissioner Helfi Assegaf stated here on Tuesday.

The villagers found the survivor among the water hyacinths growing along the banks of Lake Toba in Onan Runggu village, Onan Runggu District, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra Province.

A search and rescue (SAR) team is still looking for the four other people missing along with the EC-130 helicopter that lost contact with the air traffic control during a flight in North Sumatra Province on Sunday (Oct. 10) at 12:20 p.m. local time.

"The helicopter was flying from Siparmahan, or the western coast of Lake Toba, to Kualanamu via Pematang Siantar," Hemi Pramurahardjo, the spokesman of the transportation ministry, noted in a statement on Sunday.

The chopper belonging to PAS was piloted by Captain Teguh Mulyanto. The ill-fated helicopter also had onboard technician Hari Poerwantono along with three passengers: Nurhayanto, Giyanto, and Frans.

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