A Sriwijaya Air aircraft that took off from Jakarta in Indonesia has gone missing shortly after its take off. Flight tracking websites Flightradar24 reported that that Boeing 737-500 plane lost more than 10,000 altitude in less than minute before disappearing from radar.
The Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 disappeared from radar screens around 4 minutes after take-off. The flight was going from Jakarta to Pontianak in West Kalimantan. The Indonesian transport ministry has confirmed that the contact with the flight was lost at 2:20 local time.
Adita Irawati, the spokesperson for the Transport Ministry of Indonesia said that they are coordinating the matter with Basarnas (the search and rescue agency) and KNKT (the transport safety body). She said that more information will be released as and when become available.
Reportedly, 56 people were travelling in aircraft. The passengers included 46 adults, 7 children and 3 infants. The plane lost contact near the Tanjung Pasir Pulau Lancang, according to an official of the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. It is feared that the plane crashed into the sea. According to local TV reports, fisherman in the area have found pieces of cable probably belonging to the aircraft.
Photographs have emerged on social media showing local authority in the area fishing out wires and other debris from the water, which could be part of the aircraft.
According to latest media reports, a patrolling boat of the air and sea transportation authority of the Republic of Indonesia has found the location of the crash of the plane in the Thousand Islands. The boat found parts of human bodies and aviation fuel at the site, almost confirming that the plane crashed there. The captain of the boat said the local fishermen told him that they heard a sound of an explosion at the site.