Indonesian Sriwijaya Air plane crashes into sea after taking off from Jakarta
A passenger plane operated by Indonesian carrier Sriwijaya Air has crashed into the sea after taking off from Jakarta's airport, an official told media outlets. The aircraft was en route to Pontianak on Borneo island when it lost contact, said Adita Irawati, a spokeswoman for the Transport Ministry.
- World
- Agencies and A News
- Published Date: 02:00 | 09 January 2021
- Modified Date: 07:03 | 09 January 2021
An Indonesian passenger aircraft with 62 people on board crashed into the sea after taking off from the capital Jakarta, authorities said Saturday.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJY 182 had 50 passengers on board, including 10 children, plus 12 crew members, said the country's Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.
Debris believed to be from the missing plane has been found between the isles of Laki and Lancang in Jakarta's Thousand Islands regency, said the authorities.
The National Search and Rescue Agency said the crash site is approximately 1.5-2 miles from the two islands.
"The area around the two islands has a depth of 20-30 meters," Bambang Suryo, the agency's deputy for operations, said in a press conference.
Later, the Indonesian Navy said it found the debris of plane scattered at four sites of Thousand Islands waters.
The flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of the province of West Kalimantan, lost contact at 2.40 p.m. local time (0740GMT), said Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawat.
Authorities are currently investigating and coordinating with the National Search and Rescue Agency and the National Transportation Safety Committee.
According to FlightRadar24, a flight tracker website, it lost more than 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) in altitude in less than a minute.
Sumadi said President Joko Widodo ordered maximum search for the aircraft debris.