All 27 passengers who were traveling onboard the Indonesian passenger aircraft that crashed into the sea on Saturday were killed.

The MA-60 aircraft exploded as it went into the sea in the eastern province of West Papu, near to Kaimana.

According to reports,15 bodies have been found by the rescue team.

A transport ministry spokesperson told AFP news agency there were 21 passengers and six crew on board the twin turbo-prop plane, operated by Merpati Airlines, which was flying from the coastal city of
Sorong in West Papua province for Kaimana district about 400 kilometres (250 miles) to the south.

Indonesia relies heavily on air transport, but has a history of poor air safety, with a number of crashes in recent years.