JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian rescuers have pulled out body parts, pieces of clothing and scraps of metal from the Java Sea, a day after a Boeing 737-500 with 62 people onboard crashed shortly after takeoff from Jakarta.
Officials are hopeful they are honing in on the wreckage of Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 after sonar equipment detected a signal from the aircraft.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told reporters Sunday morning authorities have launched massive search efforts after identifying the possible location of the crash site.
Sumadi says the flight was delayed for an hour before it took off at 2:36 p.m. Saturday. The plane then disappeared from radar four minutes later, after the pilot contacted air traffic control to ascend to an altitude of 29,000 feet.
The airline said the plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island.
More than 12 hours since the plane operated by the Indonesian airline lost contact, little is known about what caused the crash.
Fishermen in the area around Thousand Islands north of Jakarta’s coast reported hearing an explosion Saturday afternoon.
This is what we know about Sriwijaya Air flight #SJ182 based on ADS-B data.
Route: Jakarta to Pontianak
Callsign: SJY182
Aircraft: Boeing 737-500, PK-CLC
Take off: 07:36 UTC
Highest altitude: 10,900 feet
Last altitude: 250 feet
Signal lost: 07:40 UTChttps://t.co/fNZqlIR2dz pic.twitter.com/CPzFJdsuJZ— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 9, 2021
Beoing, which is the maker of the aircraft, issued this statement:
“We are aware of media reports from Jakarta regarding Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182. Our thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand ready to support them during this difficult time.”
