JAKARTA: A helicopter with three people on board lost contact in Indonesia's eastern province of North Maluku on Tuesday, as a search-and-rescue operation is underway, head of Provincial Search and Rescue Office, Fatur Rahman, told Xinhua via phone on Wednesday.

The chopper failed to communicate with the air traffic control at 1.16 pm local time when it was flying above the forest in Halmahera Tengah district, Rahman said.

The chopper, operated by PT Weda Bay Nickel firm, was carrying three people on board, comprising two pilots and one passenger, he said.

A joint rescue team comprising 300 personnel from the office, soldiers, and policemen have been heading to the area where the chopper failed to communicate with the air traffic control, he added.

-- BERNAMA