First bodies recovered from plane crash in Indonesia
Indonesian officials said the Lion Air plane that crashed into the Java Sea on the morning of October 29 had requested to turn back just 2-3 minutes after takeoff. However, the plane disappeared from radar screens 13 minutes later before it was confirmed to have crashed into the sea.
According toReuters, the crashed Lion Air plane, flight number JT610, departed from Jakarta at 6:20 a.m. and was scheduled to land in Pangkal Pinang, the largest city on Bangka Island, at 7:20 a.m.
When it crashed, the plane is believed to have sunk to a depth of 30 - 35 meters below sea level. There were 189 people on board, including 2 infants and 1 child. In addition, there were at least 23 Indonesian government officials and employees.
The plane that crashed was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which had only been in global service for 18 months. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is considered an improved, fuel-efficient version of the Boeing 737 series. It was once promoted as the "world's most reliable" aircraft.
Rescue boats of the Indonesian search and rescue agency at the scene. Photo: Reuters
The plane that crashed was only put into service in August 2018 and had only logged about 800 flight hours. The head of Indonesia's transport safety committee, Soerjannto Tjahjono, said it was impossible to assume what the cause of the accident was until the black box and data from the air traffic control tower were recovered.Straits TimesIt also reported that 20 Indonesian Finance Ministry employees were believed to be on board.
The first bodies were found. Photo: Reuters
A spokesman for Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency confirmed there were no survivors in the crash. Divers began searching at coordinates 5 degrees 90' 361" South - 107 degrees 06' 618" East. The crash site is about 2 miles (about 3 km) from where it lost contact, in Karawang Bay, West Java, with water depths of about 30-35 meters, the head of Indonesia's national search and rescue agency, Muhammad Syaugi, said at a news conference.
The head of the national search and rescue agency's communications department, Yusuf Latief, said some body parts and belongings had been found in waters off Indonesia's West Java province. Meanwhile, Indonesian national search and rescue agency official Major General Nugroho Budi Wiryanto said dozens of divers were searching for debris from the plane.
Relatives of passengers on flight JT610 that crashed into the sea gather to wait for news at Depati Amir airport, Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia. Photo: AP
According to Reuters, this is the first recorded accident involving a Boeing 737 MAX commercial aircraft, a new upgraded version that is said to use more fuel efficiently from the manufacturer. The plane that crashed was one of the first Boeing 737 MAXs put into use.
Plane crash location
Just six months ago, a Lion Air plane skidded off the runway at Djalaluddi Airport in Gorontalo, Indonesia. Fortunately, none of the 174 passengers and seven crew members were injured, although the incident destroyed the plane’s landing gear.
In December 2014, an AirAsia Airbus A320 crashed into the sea after taking off from Surabaya to Singapore carrying 162 people.
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