Search teams have today recovered the body of one of the victims onboard a plane that crashed into a mountain in Indonesia on Saturday.

The male was onboard the ATR 42-500 when it smashed into the peak of Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, on Saturday.

Large pieces of the fuselage were also found scattered across the crash site.

Rescue teams battled through thick fog to reach the remote area where the aircraft came down with eight crew and three passengers onboard on January 17.

The mountain is s 4,439 ft (1,353m) above sea level and around 20km from the airport where the plane was scheduled to land.

Officials have now requested specialist mountaineering and climbing equipment to reach locations on the steep terrain where parts of the plane and bodies are believed to be.

Commander of the 1421 Military District Command in Pangkep Regency, Infantry Lieutenant Colonel Parlindungan Yuandika, said that personal belongings and identity cards of victims had been found among the debris.

He said: 'We obtained some initial information from the public. One of them came from a witness named Reski, a mountain climber who was at the peak of Mount Bulusaraung, where he witnessed a plane flying low over Mount Bulusaraung. Not long afterwards, the climber heard a loud explosion around the mountain, around 1pm.'

Muhammad Arif Anwar, Head of the Makassar Search and Rescue Office, added: 'The discovery of this fuselage is of important value in narrowing the search area. The joint team is currently focusing on securing the location, collecting data on findings, and adjusting operational tactics according to terrain conditions in the field.

'The terrain at the incident location is quite challenging and requires special equipment support.

'Several points are on slope areas and require mountaineering equipment. Personnel safety remains our main priority in carrying out this operation.'

The ATR 42-500 took off from Yogyakarta for a two-hour flight to Makassar, South Sulawesi, but air traffic control is said to have lost contact when the plane was around 20km from the airport.

Rescue teams were sent in helicopters and across land to the remote mountainous Leang-Leang area to search for survivors.

Director General of Air Transport, Lukman F Laisa, said air traffic control tried to bring the plane back on course but lost contact with the captain.

The official said: 'The aircraft was identified not to be on the approach path it should have been, so the air traffic control gave a redirection to the crew to correct the position.

'Air traffic control then conveyed several further instructions. The instructions aimed to bring the plane back to the landing line in accordance with the procedure.

'After the submission of the last instructions, communication with the plane was lost. Following up on this condition, air traffic control declared an emergency phase in accordance with the applicable provisions and procedures.'

Officials said the plane was flying at a low altitude over the ocean, limiting radar coverage, and its last signal was received at 11:20 am local time, around 12 miles (20km) northeast of the airport.

The aircraft, registered PK-THT, was owned by Indonesia Air Transport, a charter company that specialises in charter flights for oil and gas businesses and the public sector.

The company was operating the plane on a long-term contract for the government's Marine and Fisheries Resources Surveillance service.

Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, the Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, said that three employees were aboard the flight as part of an airborne maritime surveillance mission supporting Indonesia's fisheries management operations.

Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago nation with more than 280 million people, relies heavily on air transport and ferries to connect its over 17,000 islands.

The country has been plagued by transportation accidents on land, sea and air in recent years because of poorly enforced safety standards.