The crash site of an Indonesian Sriwijaya Air flight carrying 62 people that went down at sea Saturday has been found.
Divers pulled body parts, wreckage and clothing from waters off Indonesia’s capital Jakarta on Sunday, as the military located a signal it hoped would lead to the wreckage of a jet that crashed.
A military vessel “has found the signal from a location believed to be the crash site, a search and rescue team Sunday recovered debris, including life vests and human body parts, Indonesian military chief Hadi Tjahjanto told reporters.
The ministry did not specify if the signal was from the downed plane’s black box.
He added that he is hopeful the Boeing 737-500 plane wreckage could be recovered later today from the area, in the waters of the Thousand Islands area between the isles of Lancang and Laki.
“Divers reported that underwater visibility is clear and it is likely that more parts from the wreckage and even from the victims could be found, hopefully everything could be recovered later this afternoon,” Tjahjanto said.
“We are confident that the location is the site where the plane crashed,” he added.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo is reportedly closely monitoring the search and rescue operations and pressing officials to get results.
“Several body parts have been found and they’ve been taken to the police hospital for identification,” Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus told AFP.
“We don’t know yet whether they’re from one person. Belongings that we think are from the passengers were also found.”
A child’s pink trousers, a broken tyre and wheel, life jackets and suspected wreckage from the plane were also found, according to authorities and AFP reporters on the scene.
The domestic flight departed from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport bound for the city of Pontianak in West Borneo when it lost contact within minutes after taking off. It carried 50 passengers, including 10 children, and 12 crew members.
An Indonesian warship, the Rigel, has been docked at the crash site since early Sunday as part of search and rescue efforts.
Earlier, Bagus Puruhito, the head of the National Search and Rescue Agency, said a bag containing aircraft debris believed to be part of the plane had been found.
Data from FlightRadar24 indicated that the plane reached an altitude of nearly 11,000 feet (3,350 metres) before dropping suddenly to 250 feet. It then lost contact with air traffic control.
The transport minister said Saturday that the jet appeared to deviate from its intended course just before it disappeared from radar.
The jet that went down Saturday is not a MAX model and was 26 years old, according to authorities.
Families victims await news of beloved ones
It’s still unclear what caused the crash. There was no sign of survivors.
“I represent the government and all Indonesians in expressing my deep condolences for this tragedy,” President Joko Widodo said.
“We are doing our best to save the victims. We pray together so that the victims can be found,” he said, adding that he had asked the National Transport Safety Committee to conduct an investigation.
On Saturday night, distraught relatives waited nervously for news at Pontianak airport.
“I have four family members on the flight – my wife and three children,” Yaman Zai said as he sobbed.
“(My wife) sent me a picture of the baby today… How could my heart not be torn into pieces?”
Scenes from the airport:#SJ182 pic.twitter.com/3ExiQBCyT8
— SJY182 (@AKahn2020) January 9, 2021
Authorities established two crisis centers, one at airport and one at port. Families gathered to wait for news of loved ones.
On social media, people began circulating the flight manifesto with photos and videos of those who were listed as passengers. One video shows a woman with her children waving goodbye while walking through the airport.
Waiting at the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, Arya Karisma Hardy, a victim’s relative, told Anadolu Agency that Mulyadi Mulyadi, among the passengers aboard the plane, was his close friend.
“He just got married. Mulyadi was aboard the plane with four other people including his wife, mother-in-law, and other relatives,” he added.
Hardy said that he came to the airport to get information after learning that the plane crashed. “I learnt that he was on this plane from his social media post. Crisis desk officials also confirmed that Mulyadi and his relatives were on the plane.”
Living in the capital Jakarta, Mulyadi got on the plane to go to his hometown Pontianak in the West Kalimantan province to see his family, Hardy said, adding he wanted to get good news as soon as possible.
Another victim relative was Sri Rahayu who had five relatives on board: “They were going to fly on Sunday, but when their plans changed, they were able to fly on Saturday. When I saw the news on TV, I tried to reach them all but their phones were off.”
“We expect hopeful news from the authorities. I hope we get good news from the authorities, at this stage, we have no choice but to wait,” Rahayu added.
The relatives of the passengers are waiting in a special area set up at the airport, however, press members are not allowed to enter.
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