Indonesian plane crash; wreckage of crashed plane was found

JAKARTA: Rescuers found the wreckage of an Indonesian plane that had crashed with 62 people on board. Rescuers found the wreckage of the plane in the Java Sea.

The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500, which took off from Jakarta for West Kalimantan at 2.30 pm on Saturday, disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff. The plane disappeared from radar shortly after takeoff from Jakarta and crashed.

The plane was carrying 62 people, including 12 crew members, Indonesia’s Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi told reporters. At the same time, there are indications that the aircraft was carrying only 56 passengers and six crew members.

The 62 passengers included seven children and three infants. The government has set up two crisis centers at the airport and port following the accident. Relatives of the passengers of the crashed plane have reached both the centers. Ten ships have been deployed for the rescue operation.

Indonesian Transport Minister Budi told the media that an extensive search was being carried out in the area where the plane was believed to have crashed. The wreckage was found between Lansang Island and Laki Island, said Bagas Puruhito, head of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency.

The cause of the plane crash is still unclear. Meanwhile, fishermen near the island reportedly heard the sound of an explosion around 2.30pm on Saturday.