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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An Indonesian air transport official Novie Riyanto has said Flight JT610 was cleared to return to Jakarta after the pilot made a “return to base” request two to three minutes after taking off.
The aircraft plunged into the sea about 10 minutes later after the distress call. Weather conditions were normal but the brand new aircraft had experienced a technical issue on its previous flight.
Lion Air said the jet, on a one hour and 10 minute flight to Pangkal Pinang on an island chain off Sumatra,
A Chinese company, China Minsheng Investment Group Leasing Holdings Ltd, owned the Lion Air plane that crashed leased it to the airline, the official China News Service has said.
CNS quoted CMIG Leasing saying it was extremely sad about the accident and was in close contact with Lion Air, Boeing and other organisations.
The company said it is a common practice for airlines to obtain large aircraft though leasing arrangements with third companies.
CMIG Leasing is part of the sprawling CMIG group, which has interests in fields including logistics, energy and health care.
Rescue team members arrange the wreckage, showing part of the logo of Lion Air flight JT610, that crashed into the sea, at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta (Reuters)
Australia's foreign affairs ministry said Australian government officials and contractors "have been instructed not to fly on Lion Air or their subsidiary airlines" following the crash of a Lion Air jet carrying 189 people.
The statement posted on the ministry's website said the decision will be reviewed when the findings of the crash investigation are clear.
It said its overall level of travel advice for Indonesia was unchanged from its recommendation to exercise a high degree of caution.
Rescuers conduct search operation in the waters of Ujung Karawang, West Java (AP/Achmad Ibrahim)
The European Commission said it has no immediate plans to ban Indonesian airline Lion Air again after one of its planes crashed into the sea off Jakarta, likely killing all 189 people on board.
Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns. The ban was lifted for Lion Air in June 2016 and the countrywide ban was lifted completely in June this year.
Commission spokesman Enrico Brivio said there "have been no indications that the safety levels at Lion Air or the safety oversight in Indonesia" were deteriorating.
But Mr Brivio said the commission will analyse the results of the investigation into Monday's crash.
A wallet belonging to a passenger of the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT610 floats at sea (ARIF ARIADI/AFP/Getty Images)
Pope Francis has conveyed his condolences to those affected by the crash of the Lion Air jetliner minutes after taking off from Indonesia's capital, likely killing all 189 people on board.
The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said in a telegram to the Vatican's representative in Indonesia that the pope "offers the assurance of his prayers for all who have died and for those who mourn their loss" following Monday's crash.
Search and rescue workers sift through the remains of Lion Air flight JT610 into a waiting ambulance at the Tanjung Priok port (Ed Wray/Getty Images)
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