Indonesian rescuers have started recovering body parts, pieces of clothing and scraps of metal from the Java Sea after a Boeing 737-500 crashed shortly after take-off.
The crash took place on Saturday, January 9, and while initial reports stipulated that there were more than 50 people aboard the flight, true figures reflect that there were 62 aboard, including flight attendants and passengers.
‘These pieces were found by the SAR team between Lancang Island and Laki Island,’ National Search and Rescue Agency head Bagus Puruhito in a statement.
The plane lost contact just four minutes after departing from Jakarta. It was en route to the city of Pontianak in the West Kalimantan province. While the plane was 26 years old, Sriwijaya Air officials insist that it was airworthy.
According to Indonesian military air chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, as reported by ABC News, teams on the Rigel Navy Ship detected a signal from the aircraft which fit the coordinates from the flight’s last contact.
‘We have immediately deployed our divers from the navy’s elite unit to determine the finding to evacuate the victims,’ he said.
Fishermen in the vicinity of the Thousand Island, a chain of islands on the north of Jakarta’s coast, reported hearing an explosion at around 2.30pm on Saturday. As it was raining heavily, they struggled to see anything clearly, but felt a big wave and a splash.
Two crises centres have been established where families can gather to wait for news of their loved ones. Social media users have also begun circulating the flight manifesto, along with photos and videos of those who were listed as passengers.
Picture: Twitter/India News
