Sony Setiawan is one lucky man.
Setiawan, who was supposed to be a passenger on the doomed Lion Air flight that crashed shortly after takeoff likely killing all 189 people onboard, said he missed the flight because he got caught in bad traffic on the way to the airport.
Lion Air flight JT610 crashed into the sea Monday shortly after taking off from Jakarta, Indonesia, likely leaving no survivors, according to Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee.
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Speaking with media Monday evening, Setiawan said he was supposed to be on the ill-fated flight with his colleagues, but was held up in traffic.
“I know my friends were on that flight,” Setiawan told Agence France Presse. “My family was in shock and my mother cried, but I told them I was safe, so I just have to be grateful.”
Setiawan told the news agency he had only learned about his lucky escape once he arrived in Pangkal Pinang on a different flight.
He said he received a text from a coworker saying the plane had already boarded.
“I mean if the plane was delayed, I could still catch up,” he said, as translated by Malaysia One News.
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The flight was en route to Pangkal Pinang, capital of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region. Rescue officials said they had recovered some human remains from the crash site, about 15 km off the coast.
The plane went down in waters about 30 metres to 35 metres deep. Items such as headphones and life vests were found, along with the body parts.
–with a file from the Associated Press