Advertisement

Lion Air flight with 189 on board crashes in Indonesian sea, no survivors known

Click to play video: 'Indonesia airliner crashes minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 on board'
Indonesia airliner crashes minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 on board
WATCH ABOVE: A Lion Air flight carrying 189 people has crashed into the Java Sea, just 13 minutes after it took off. Mike Armstrong reports on the recovery efforts, and how the airline was once banned from flying in certain parts of the world – Oct 29, 2018

A Lion Air flight with at least 189 people on board is believed to have sunk after crashing into the sea off Indonesia’s island of Java on Monday, shortly after take off from the capital on its way to the country’s tin-mining hub, officials said.

A spokesman for Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said the Lion Air flight, JT610, lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff, adding that a tug boat leaving the capital’s port had seen the craft falling.

“It has been confirmed that it has crashed,” the spokesman, Yusuf Latif, said by text message, when asked about the fate of the Lion Air plane, which air tracking service Flightradar 24 identified as a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Debris thought to be from the plane, including aircraft seats, was found near an offshore refining facility, an official of state energy firm Pertamina said.

Story continues below advertisement

WATCH: Debris and belongings of Lion Air passengers retrieved from sea brought to Jakarta

Click to play video: 'Debris and belongings of Lion Air passengers retrieved from sea brought to Jakarta'
Debris and belongings of Lion Air passengers retrieved from sea brought to Jakarta

Wreckage had been found near where the Lion Air plane lost contact with air traffic officials on the ground, said Muhmmad Syaugi, the head of the search and rescue agency.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“We don’t know yet whether there are any survivors,” Syaugi told a news conference. “We hope, we pray, but we cannot confirm.”

Flight JT610 took off around 6.20 a.m. and was due to have landed in the capital of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region at 7.20 a.m., the Flightradar 24 website showed.

“We cannot give any comment at this moment,” Edward Sirait, chief executive of Lion Air Group, told Reuters, adding that a news conference was planned for later on Monday. “We are trying to collect all the information and data.”

Story continues below advertisement

Preliminary flight tracking data from Flightradar24 shows the aircraft climbed to around 5,000 feet (1,524 m) before losing, and then regaining, height, before finally falling towards the sea.

It was last recorded at 3,650 feet (1,113 m) and its speed had risen to 345 knots, according to raw data captured by the respected tracking website, which could not immediately be confirmed.

WATCH: Divers search for main wreckage of crashed Lion Air plane

Click to play video: 'Divers search for main wreckage of crashed Lion Air plane'
Divers search for main wreckage of crashed Lion Air plane

Its last recorded position was about 15 km north of the Indonesian coastline, according to a Google Maps reference of the last coordinates reported by Flightradar24.

The accident is the first to be reported that involves the widely-sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer’s workhorse single-aisle jet. The first Boeing 737 MAX jets were introduced into service in 2017.

Story continues below advertisement

Lion Air’s Malaysian subsidiary, Malindo Air, received the very first global delivery.

Boeing is aware of the airplane accident reports and is “closely monitoring” the situation, it said on social network Twitter.

WATCH: Indonesian plane crashes, sinks with 189 on board 
Click to play video: 'Indonesian plane crashes, sinks with 189 on board'
Indonesian plane crashes, sinks with 189 on board

Sponsored content

AdChoices