Photo: Facebook / Lion Air
A plane from Indonesia’s low-cost flight operator Lion Air crashed into the sea a little over 10 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta. All of its 189 passenger and crew are presumed dead at the moment, the BBC reports.
The plane was brand new: it was a Boeing 737 Max that had been introduced this August and put into circulation shortly afterwards. It was supposed to fly from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang, which takes a little over an hour, but 13 minutes into the flight, authorities on the ground lost contact.
According to sources close to the investigation cited by the BBC, right before cutting off, the pilot had asked for permission to return to Jakarta, but it was not granted to him. The report doesn’t say on what grounds he had made this demand.
As of the time of writing, all passengers and crew members are presumed dead. Authorities have recovered personal belongings and body parts in the area around the crash, but they are still looking for the main wreckage, which is submerged in water.
“We need to find the main wreckage,” Bambang Suryo, operational director of the search and rescue agency, says. “I predict there are no survivors, based on body parts found so far.”
In a statement, Lion Air Chief Executive Edward Sirait says that there had been an unspecified “technical issue” with the plane on a previous flight, but it had been “resolved.” Boeing is also expressing regret over the tragedy, offering to aid authorities in the investigation in any way possible.
The crew on board had extensive flight experience, from the flight attendants to the pilots, the BBC says. Families of victims are asked to come forward with information on missing people.
The tragedy will undoubtedly leave a huge dent on Lion Air, which was just recovering from a ban of flying over European airspace. Its history is checkered with other safety incidents and crashes, though none as severe as this one.
According to sources close to the investigation cited by the BBC, right before cutting off, the pilot had asked for permission to return to Jakarta, but it was not granted to him. The report doesn’t say on what grounds he had made this demand.
As of the time of writing, all passengers and crew members are presumed dead. Authorities have recovered personal belongings and body parts in the area around the crash, but they are still looking for the main wreckage, which is submerged in water.
“We need to find the main wreckage,” Bambang Suryo, operational director of the search and rescue agency, says. “I predict there are no survivors, based on body parts found so far.”
In a statement, Lion Air Chief Executive Edward Sirait says that there had been an unspecified “technical issue” with the plane on a previous flight, but it had been “resolved.” Boeing is also expressing regret over the tragedy, offering to aid authorities in the investigation in any way possible.
The crew on board had extensive flight experience, from the flight attendants to the pilots, the BBC says. Families of victims are asked to come forward with information on missing people.
The tragedy will undoubtedly leave a huge dent on Lion Air, which was just recovering from a ban of flying over European airspace. Its history is checkered with other safety incidents and crashes, though none as severe as this one.
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