An Indonesian police plane carrying 15 people to Batam is missing.

The plane, which took off from Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka at around 9.30 a.m. is thought to have crashed between the islands of Mensanak and Sebangka or Gentar, a police report seen by Reuters said.

Police and local authorities are continuing to search the area.

According to Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), items belonging to passengers had also been found.

"We found debris," BASARNAS chief Bambang Soelistyo told Reuters, adding his team were searching in a 200 square nautical mile area.

Soelistyo said it was too soon to assume there were no survivors and that no remains of those aboard had been found, although there were no reports of survivors.

The last known radar position of the aircraft was about 40 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Pinang - over 2,000km from its planned final destination.