Lion Air crash - live updates: Indonesia rescue teams expect no survivors after plane carrying 189 smashes into sea soon after take-off
Around 300 people involved in search and rescue operation as body parts recovered from wreckage
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An Indonesian plane carrying 189 people crashed into the sea and sank minutes after taking off from the capital, Jakarta.
The Lion Air flight, JT610, lost contact with ground officials 13 minutes after takeoff, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said. The agency posted photos online showing a crushed smartphone, books, bags and parts of the aircraft fuselage which had been collected by search and rescue vessels.
Around 300 people, including soldiers, police and local fishermen were involved in the search – which has so far recovered body parts, ID cards, personal belongings and aircraft debris.
Lion Air said the brand-new Boeing 737, which was on a 1-hour-and-10-minute flight to Pangkal Pinang on an island chain off Sumatra, was carrying 181 passengers, including one child and two babies, and eight crew members.
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The plane was cleared to return to Jakarta's airport after making the request two or three minutes after take-off, an official has said.
Rescue personnel prepare to dive at the location where a Lion Air plane crashed into the sea in the north coast of Karawang regency, West Java province (Reuters)
Families are turning up at Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency headquarters in Jakarta for world of their loved ones after a Lion Air plane crashed at sea.
Indonesia's finance minister, Sri Mulyani, met with the agency chief, seeking information about 20 finance ministry staff who were on the flight.
Lion Air's president has said the crashed plane had a technical problem on its last flight which was resolved.
Edward Sirait said the technical problem on Boeing 737 Max 8 plane was resolved in accordance with the manufacturer's procedures. He wasn't more specific but said the problem on the earlier flight would be part of the investigation.
Separately, Indonesia's directorate-general of air transportation said the flight from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang requested to return to Jakarta shortly after takeoff from the capital's airport. The plane crashed into the sea about 13 minutes after takeoff.
In a statement about the tragedy, the air transportation agency's spokesman, Sindu Rahayu, said: "The plane had requested a return to base before disappearing from the radar." It gave no other details about the request.
A map shows the route and crash site of Lion Air flight JT610 (Reuters)
An Indonesian rescue official has said they are "not expecting survivors" from the plane crash, which was carrying 189 people before it plummeted into the sea near Jakarta.
"We need to find the main wreckage," Bambang Suryo, operational director of Indonesia's search and rescue agency, said.
"I predict there are no survivors, based on body parts found so far."
The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board.
Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was completely lifted in June this year. The US lifted a decade-long ban in 2016.
Lion Air, a discount carrier, is one of Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations.
In 2013, one of its Boeing 737-800 jets missed the runway while landing on the resort island of Bali, crashing into the sea without causing any fatalities among the 108 people on board.
Bambang Suryo went on to say the search effort is focusing on finding bodies.
The operations director of Indonesia's search and rescue agency said six body bags have been used so far for the human remains recovered.
He said the location of the plane's hull has not yet been identified. The waters where it sank are up to 30m (100ft) deep.
The search is currently planned to last seven days and could be extended.
The Indonesian Air Force has released aerial footage of the crash site captured by one of its helicopter pilots.
The air force said it hoped there were survivors of the disaster who could still be saved, although this statement appears to have come before rescue officials announced they were are not expecting to find passengers alive at the crash site.
Lion Air has named the crew on board Flight JT610, which is thought to have claimed the lives of over 180 people after crashing off the Indonesian coast.
The airline said the flight's pilot, Captain Bhavye Suneja, and his co-pilot, Harvino, shared more than 11,000 flight hours’ experience between them.
The company said there had also been six cabin crew on board the aircraft, Shintia Melina, Citra Noivita Anggelia, Alviani Hidayatul Solikha, Damayanti Simarmata, Mery Yulianda, and Deny Maula.
“Lion Air is very concerned about this incident and will collaborate with relevant agencies and all parties in connection with this incident,” the airline added in a statement.
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