Indonesian rescue workers have found body parts, clothing and wreckage in the Java Sea. Yesterday a Boeing 737 crashed there, which had taken off a few minutes earlier in the capital Jakarta. 62 people were on board.
A signal from the aircraft was picked up in the water, near the spot where the pilots last made contact. It may be a signal from the black box.
Not much is known about the crash yet. Fishermen in the area reported that they suddenly heard and saw an explosion. “We thought it was a bomb or a tsunami,” says one of them. Wreckage and traces of oil were later found nearby.
According to the Minister of Transport, flight SJ182 took off with an hour delay from the airport in Jakarta due to bad weather. Four minutes after takeoff, the aircraft disappeared from the radar. Just before that, the pilot had talked to air traffic control about rising to a higher altitude.
The authorities have set up two crisis centers for next of kin. They wait at the airport and at the port for news of the fate of the occupants.
Technically okay
Sriwijaya Air airline says that the aircraft was technically sound according to the maintenance report. The Boeing 737-500 was 26 years old and was previously used in the United States.
Aircraft manufacturer Boeing says it is aware of “media reports from Jakarta”. “Our thoughts are with the crew, passengers and their families.”