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Indonesian search and rescue officials worked through the night to find victims of the Lion Air plane crash and sent 24 body bags for identification as the airline flew dozens of grieving relatives to capital Jakarta.
The fuselage of the plane has now been located, news agency Reuters quoted the Indonesian military chief as saying.
The 2-month-old Boeing jet crashed into the Java Sea on Monday, 29 October morning, just minutes after taking off from Jakarta. Officials have said all 189 people on board are “likely” dead.
The National Search and Rescue Agency said on Tuesday, 30 October, that 10 intact bodies as well as body parts had been recovered.
Members of Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS) stand near debris and personal belongings believed to be from Lion Air passenger jet that crashed off Java Island at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta.
(Photo: AP)
Ships and a remotely operated underwater vehicle have been deployed to search for the plane's hull and flight recorder.
Indonesia's disaster agency posted photos online of a crushed smartphone, books, bags and parts of the aircraft fuselage that had been collected by search and rescue vessels in the area. Indonesian TC channels broadcast pictures of a fuel slick and debris field.
Distraught friends and relatives prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Pangkal Pinang's airport.
Divers Try to Locate Wreckage as Families Pray At the Airport
Distraught family members struggled to comprehend the sudden loss of loved ones in the crash. Gathered at crisis centres set up by the authorities at airports, families were hoping for a miracle.
A top search official, citing the condition of the remains recovered, however, said no survivors are expected.
Relatives and friends wept, prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Jakarta's airport and at Pangkal Pinang's airport on Bangka island off Sumatra, where the flight was headed.
Some, including Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani headed to the search and rescue agency's headquarters in Jakarta for information. About 20 employees of the ministry were on the flight.
Latief Nurbana told AP that he and his wife Yeti Eka Sumiati stayed up late Sunday, 28 October, talking to their 24-year-old son Lutfi Nuramdani, squeezing every moment they could from his weekend visit to Jakarta to catch up on his life in Pangkal Pinang.
Nurbana said they talked until falling asleep, and his wife woke up early to take their son, a post office worker, to the airport.
"Last night, we were chatting together about his wife who is now seven months' pregnant, his plans and his dreams with his own small family until we fell asleep," he said as his wife wept and clung to him.
"Now he's gone. We can't believe that he left us this way, we can't believe that his plane crashed. That's something we only see on TV news, now it happened to my son," Nurbana said. "We want to see his body, his face, his remains."
Feni, who uses a single name, told AP her soon-to-be-married sister was on the flight, planning to meet relatives in Pangkal Pinang. “We are here to find any information about my younger sister, her fiance, her in-law-to-be and their friend,” Feni said.
"We don't have any information," she said, as her father wiped tears from reddened eyes. "No one provided us with any information that we need. We're confused. We hope that our family is still alive," she said.
The search and rescue agency said the flight went down in waters off West Java that are 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 feet) deep.
The agency's chief Muhammad Syaugi told a news conference that divers are trying to locate the wreckage.
More than 300 people including soldiers, police and fishermen are involved in the grim search, retrieving aircraft debris and personal items such as a crumpled cellphone, ID cards and carry-on bags from the seas northeast of Jakarta.
Syaugi said he's certain it won't take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its black box due to the relatively shallow 25 to 30 meter (100 to 115 foot) depths of the waters. Three specialised search ships, including one from Singapore, were headed to the crash location.
Indian Pilot’s Family Stunned
Lion Air said there were two foreigners on the plane: one of the pilots, Indian national Bhavye Suneja, and an Italian citizen.
Friends and relatives gathered at the pilot's family home in New Delhi to comfort his immediate family.
“His father is stunned and not in a condition to talk or do anything. Sister and mother have not come out. They are distressed,” said Anil Gupta, a family friend.
The Flight 610 pilot had more than 6,000 flying hours while the co-pilot had more than 5,000 hours, according to Lion Air.
Indonesia's Transport Ministry said the plane took off from Jakarta about 6:20 am and crashed just 13 minutes later. Data from FlightAware showed it had reached an altitude of only 5,200 feet (1,580 metres).
Deeply Saddened By the Crash: Boeing
Boeing says it is "deeply saddened" by the crash of a Lion Air plane and offered to help with the investigation.
The Chicago-based planemaker said it is prepared to provide technical assistance to the crash probe, which will be carried out by Indonesian investigators. Boeing spokesperson Paul Lewis told AP that Boeing is "closely monitoring the situation" but did not provide details on the aircraft in question.
In its statement, Boeing Co expressed its concern for the 189 people on board, and offered "heartfelt sympathies to their families and loved ones."
‘Aircraft Had a Technical Fault in the Previous Flight’
The Boeing 737 Max 8 was delivered to Lion Air in mid-August and put in use within days, according to aviation website Flightradar24.
The plane was leased from China Minsheng Investment Group Leasing Holdings Ltd., according to the official China News Service.
Malindo Air, a Malaysian subsidiary of Lion Air, was the first airline to begin using the 737 Max 8 last year. The Max 8 replaced the similar 800 in the Chicago-based plane maker's product line.
Lion Air president-director Edward Sirait said the plane had a “technical problem” on its previous flight from Bali to Jakarta but it had been fully remedied. He didn’t know specifics of the problem when asked in a TV interview.
"Indeed there were reports about a technical problem, and the technical problem has been resolved in accordance with the procedures released by the plane manufacturer," Sirait said. "I did not know exactly but let it be investigated by the authorities."
According to ANI, transport ministry official has ordered inspection for all Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after the incident.
Indonesian President Orders Probe
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said he has ordered the National Commission for Transportation Safety to investigate the crash of a Lion Air plane.
He said rescuers are making their best efforts to find victims, and urged Indonesians "to keep on praying."
Widodo, speaking in Bali where he was attending a conference, said he feels the anxiety of families and hopes they can remain calm while rescuers are working hard at the crash location at sea northeast of Jakarta.
Worst Crash Since 2014
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.
Lion Air 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.
Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 were 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.
Two Indian Airlines in Touch With Boeing
Two Indian airlines, Jet Airways and SpiceJet, that are flying the B737 Max are on alert after the tragic incident.
While Jet Airways is currently flying about five B737s in its daily operations, SpiceJet has one, The Times of India reported. Speaking to the newspaper, a senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “Since six Boeing 737 Max are operating with two Indian operators, Jet Airways and SpiceJet, we are in touch with Boeing and Federal Aviation Administration (US aviation regulator FAA), to know more details about the unfortunate accident.”
He also added that none of the Indian operators have faced any technical issues with the B737, which is the same airplane model that crashed seconds after taking off from Jakarta.
The deadly crash came as a blow to Indonesia's aviation safety record after the lifting of bans on its airlines by the European Union and US.
(With inputs from AP and The Times of India)
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