An Indonesian Sriwijaya Air plane with 62 people on board crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta on Saturday, Reuters ...
An Indonesian Sriwijaya Air plane with 62 people on board crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Jakarta on Saturday, Reuters reported, citing country’s Transport Minister Budi Karya. It is yet to be ascertained if the people on board have survived.
The Boeing 737-500 crashed near Laki Island, some 12 km from the airport, the minister said. The plane, which had departed for Pontianak in West Kalimantan, disappeared from the radar after taking off just after 2.30 pm.
In a statement, rescue agency Basarnas said it would send a team to the Thousand Islands area, which includes the Laki Island, to help in the search for victims. Indonesian authorities say they have pinpointed the location where the plane crashed, reported BBC. More than 10 ships have been deployed to the site with navy divers.
The country’s transport safety committee said that all those on board were Indonesian. Sriwijaya Air’s Chief Executive Officer Jefferson Irwin Jauwena said that the plane had been in good condition before the flight.
The incident came just after aircraft maker Boeing agreed to pay more than $2.5 billion (over Rs 18,350 crore) in fines and compensation after reaching a settlement with the United States Department of Justice for two plane crashes that killed 346 people and led...
