Indonesia plane crash LIVE: Wreckage and ‘suspected body parts’ found after Boeing 737 carrying 62 crashes in sea
DEBRIS and 'suspected body parts' have been found after a plane carrying 62 people onboard dropped 10,000ft into the sea.
The Boeing 737 went missing shortly after take-off from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Saturday - but it emerged the plane took less than a minute to crash after plummeting thousands of feet.
A total of 56 passengers and six crew members were on the flight while reports say the jet was carrying seven children including three babies.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 fell 10,000ft in less than a minute and plunged into the Java Sea, reports say.
Locals on Thousand Island – north of Jakarta – said they heard two explosions before finding debris floating in the sea.
Follow the very latest news and updates of the missing plane in our live blog below.
'WE FEEL POWERLESS'
A crisis centre was set up for families at Jakarta's main airport
"We feel powerless," Irfansyah Riyanto, who had five relatives on the flight, told reporters.
"We can only wait and hope to get any information soon."
Distraught relatives waited in Pontianak about 740 km (460 miles) from Jakarta for news of their loved ones.
BLACK BOX RECORDERS FROM PLANE LOCATED
Indonesian authorities have located the black boxes of the Sriwijaya Air jet that crashed into the sea soon after taking off from the capital Jakarta.
The Boeing 737-500 with 62 passengers and crew was headed to Pontianak in West Kalimantan on Saturday before it disappeared from radar screens four minutes after takeoff.
Indonesia National Transport Safety Committee chief Soerjanto Tjahjono said the locations of Flight SJ 182's two black boxes had been identified.
"Hopefully, we can retrieve them soon," said military chief Hadi Tjahjanto, without giving an estimated timeframe.
AIRLINE INVESTIGATING CRASH
In a statement, Sriwijaya Air said it was still gathering information.
A spokesperson for the budget airline said: "Sriwijaya Air is still in contact with various related parties to get more detailed information regarding the SJ-182 flight from Jakarta to Pontianak.
"Management is still communicating and investigating this matter and will immediately issue an official statement after obtaining the actual information."
RECAP - PASSENGER JET CRASHES IN SEA
A passenger plane crashed after “falling 10,000ft” moments after taking off with 62 people feared dead, it has been reported.
Disturbing images have emerged of rescue workers holding mangled debris from the Boeing 737 which plunged into the Java Sea in Indonesia on Sunday.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 fell 10,000ft in under 60 seconds – less than four minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Flightradar24 reports.
Locals on Thousand Island – north of Jakarta – said they heard two explosions before finding debris floating in the sea.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WERE ON THE JET?
A total of 56 passengers and six crew members were on the flight.
Some reports say the jet was carrying seven children, including three babies.
All those on board were Indonesian, Indonesia's transport safety committee said.
HOW OLD WAS THE PLANE?
The Boeing 737 which went missing yesterday was a 26-year-old plane.
The aircraft was first part of Continental Airlines in 1994 before joining Sriwijaya Air’s fleet in 2012.
Jefferson Irwin Jauwena, the chief executive of the budget airline, said the plane was in good condition before the crash.
BODY BAGS INSPECTED
Body bags containing suspected human remains recovered from the waters where the Sriwijaya Air passenger jet is suspected to have crashed are being examined.
Members of Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency and Nationals Transportation Safety Commission are inspecting debris believed to be from the incident.
The passenger plane plunged into the Java Sea in Indonesia yesterday.
Rescuers have pulled suspected body parts, pieces of clothing and scraps of metal from the waters.
PLANE 'CRASHED FOUR MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF'
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 fell 10,000ft in under 60 seconds — less than four minutes after taking off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Flightradar24 reports.
One social media user responded to the site's data, saying: "That's freefall."
Authorities said the last contact was at 2.40pm local time (7.40am UK time) on Saturday, and reports say the aircraft dropped from 10,900ft to 7,650ft before it vanished.
OIL SLICK FLOATING ON WATER
An aerial shot taken by an Indonesian Air Force plane shows oil slick and debris floating on the water near the site where the Sriwijaya Air jet is believed to have crashed.
Suspected body parts have also been found by rescue workers among mangled debris from the Boeing 737, which plunged into the Java Sea in Indonesia yesterday.
Oil slick and debris floating on the water near where the plane is thought to have crashedCredit: AP:Associated Press
TAKEOFF HAD BEEN DELAYED BY 30 MINUTES
The Sriwijaya Air plane had been delayed 30 minutes before takeoff because of heavy rain.
Jefferson Irwin Jauwena, the chief executive of the budget airline, said the 26-year-old plane was in good condition before the crash and that it
The aircraft was first part of Continental Airlines in 1994 before joining Sriwijaya Air’s fleet in 2012.
MISSING SRIWIJAYA AIR PLANE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION
The Sriwijaya Air plane that went missing on Saturday after taking off from the Indonesian capital Jakarta with 62 people on board was in good condition.
The airline’s chief executive, Jefferson Irwin Jauwena, told reporters the flight was delayed for 30 minutes before it could take off, due to heavy rain.
62 PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD MISSING BOEING 737-500
Indonesian transport minister Budi Karya earlier confirmed that 62 people were aboard the plane, including 12 crew.
Another official had previously said there were 56 passengers and six crew members.
PLANE 'DROPPED 10,000FT' INTO THE SEA IN UNDER ONE MINUTE
"falling 10,000ft" moments after taking off with 62 people feared dead — including seven kids and three babies.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 fell 10,000ft in under 60 seconds — less than four minutes after taking off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Flightradar24 reports.
One social media user responded to the site's data, saying: "That's freefall."
Locals on Thousand Island — north of Jakarta —- said they heard two explosions before finding debris floating in the sea.
INDONESIAN BUDGET AIRLINE IS STILL INVESTIGATING BEFORE RELEASING A STATEMENT
In a statement, the budget airline said it was still gathering information.
A spokesperson said: "Sriwijaya Air is still in contact with various related parties to get more detailed information regarding the SJ-182 flight from Jakarta to Pontianak.
"Management is still communicating and investigating this matter and will immediately issue an official statement after obtaining the actual information."
All those on board were Indonesian, Indonesia's transport safety committee said.
WATCH: SEARCH CREW FINDS DEBRIS BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF BOEING 737
Search crew find debris of Boeing 737 passenger plane carrying 62 that 'crashed' after 'falling 10,000ft' after takeoff from Indonesia
CLOTHES AND DEBRIS FOUND BY FISHERMAN ARE BEING ANALYSED
Bambang Suryo Aji, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency’s deputy head of operations and preparedness, said rescuers collected plane debris and clothes that were found by fishermen.
They handed the items over to the National Transportation Safety Committee for further investigation to determine whether they were from the missing plane.
MAPPED: BOEING 737’S FLIGHT PATH
PUTIN SENDS CONDOLENCES TO FAMILIES OF INDONESIA CRASH VICTIMS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram to Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressing condolences over the passenger plane’s crash off Java Island.
According to the the Kremlin press service, Putin's statement read: "Russia shares the grief of those who lost their relatives and friends in this crash and wishes them courage and to be strong during this difficult time."
WHAT IS THE BOEING 737-500?
The Boeing 737-500 is part of the 737 family, the world’s most-flown commercial aircraft series. It was developed in the 1960s to serve short- or medium-length routes.
The 737-500 entered service in 1990 and comes from the second of four generations of 737, dubbed 737 Classic.
It shares only limited features with the fourth and latest generation, Boeing’s problem-plagued 737 MAX, and does not have the flawed cockpit software that contributed to two fatal crashes and triggered the MAX’s 20-month grounding.
But the 737-500 has mostly been phased out in favour of younger, more fuel-efficient models for economic reasons.
The aircraft that crashed was almost 27 years old and was originally flown by carriers in the United States.
'BODY PARTS FOUND'
Pictures of the wreckage — most of which was found by fisherman — have been broadcast widely on Indonesian TV.
Zulkifli, a security official, told CNN Indonesia: "We found some cables, a piece of jeans and pieces of metal on the water."
The Sea and Coast Guard Unit (KPLP) said they found what appeared to be the jet's emergency staircase, which is located at its door.
What are believed to be body parts have also been found, reports .
Officials confirmed the plane crashed between Lancang Island and Laki Island in the Thousand Islands area.
RECAP – BOEING 737 CARRYING 62 CRASHES IN SEA
A passenger plane has crashed after “falling 10,000ft” moments after taking off with 62 people feared dead, it has been reported.
Disturbing images have emerged of rescue workers holding mangled debris from the Boeing 737 which plunged into the Java Sea in Indonesia today.
Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 fell 10,000ft in under 60 seconds – less than four minutes after taking off from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Flightradar24 reports.
One social media user responded to the site’s data, saying: “That’s freefall.”
Locals on Thousand Island – north of Jakarta – said they heard two explosions before finding debris floating in the sea.
62 PEOPLE WERE ON BOARD MISSING BOEING 737-500
Indonesian transport minister Budi Karya earlier confirmed that 62 people were aboard the plane, including 12 crew.
Another official had previously said there were 56 passengers and six crew members.
WATCH: SEARCH CREW FINDS DEBRIS BELIEVED TO BE THAT OF BOEING 737
Search crew find debris of Boeing 737 passenger plane carrying 62 that 'crashed' after 'falling 10,000ft' after takeoff from IndonesiaFISHERMEN WHO HEARD EXPLOSION THOUGHT IT WAS 'A BOMB OR TSUNAMI'
Solihin, 22, a fisherman from Lancang Island, said he and two other fishermen heard an explosion around 30 meter from them.
"We thought it was a bomb or a tsunami since after that we saw the big splash from the water after the explosion," he said according to the Associated Press.
He continued: "It was raining heavily and the weather was so bad. So it is difficult to see around clearly.
"But we can see the splash and a big wave after the sounds. We were very shocked and directly saw the plane debris and the fuel around our boat."
CLOTHES AND DEBRIS FOUND BY FISHERMAN ARE BEING ANALYSED
Bambang Suryo Aji, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency's deputy head of operations and preparedness, said rescuers collected plane debris and clothes that were found by fishermen.
They handed the items over to the National Transportation Safety Committee for further investigation to determine whether they were from the missing plane.