Jakarta, Jan. 20 -- The Indonesian weather agency reported the presence of thick cumulonimbus (Cb) clouds over Maros, South Sulawesi, on January 17, as an ATR 42-500 aircraft crashed in the area.

"The weather was relatively stable, but Cb clouds were present in the landing approach area, which requires caution," Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) head Teuku Faisal Fathani told a meeting with House of Representatives Commission V in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Fathani said the assessment was based on analyses of airport meteorological reports and satellite imagery.

He stressed that the information was presented to describe meteorological conditions at the time of the incident and was not intended to determine the technical c...