Nine people were killed when a helicopter crashed near Manado in the northern Sulawesi region of Indonesia on Wednesday.

The Bell 412 helicopter operated by PT Nyaman Air and chartered by PT Nusa Halmahera Minerals was flying from Manado on Sulawesi Island to the Gosowong Mine on Halmahera Island when it crashed near Manado about 2:30pm local time.

Two Australians, two South Africans and Four Indonesians were passengers on board, piloted by two Indonesians. A sole surviving Indonesian female remains in a critical condition.

Work at the Gosowong mine site has been suspended.