JAKARTA, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter carrying eight people has gone missing after losing contact with air traffic control in Indonesia's South Kalimantan province on Monday, according to Dendy Prasetyo, a press officer for the provincial search and rescue office.

The communication failure occurred at 8:54 a.m. local time, shortly after the helicopter took off.

The aircraft had departed from an airport in Kotabaru regency and was en route to Palangkaraya, capital of the nearby Central Kalimantan province.

A search and rescue operation, involving local search and rescue personnel and police, was launched immediately after contact was lost. ■