Rescue officials had hoped to begin removing bodies from the site of the Trigana Air crash in eastern Indonesia using a helicopter, but the poor weather on Wednesday has hampered their efforts.

Due to the remote location of the crash, using a helicopter to remove the bodies was deemed the most efficient method.

However, the removal effort will now carry on using a land route.

"Heavy rains and poor visibility were hampering our rescue efforts and evacuation process will be done by foot," said Henry Bambang Soelistyo, head of the national search and rescue agency.

The bodies, once recovered, are scheduled to be taken to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, for identification.

The plane, an ATR 42-300, was carrying 49 passengers, including five children, and five crew members. All the bodies were found among the wreckage when rescuers finally reached the crash site Tuesday after being hampered by treacherous terrain and bad weather.

The crash occurred on Sunday in bad weather during a short flight from Jayapura to the remote city of Oksibil in the mountains. Officials found the plane "completely destroyed."

Trigana has had 14 serious incidents since it began operations in 1991, according to the Aviation Safety Network.

Including this latest incident, it has written off 11 aircraft and is on the EU's blacklist which bars it from operating in European airspace.

mz/jil (AP, dpa, AFP)