Indonesian plane crashes into sea near Jakarta
An Indonesian jetliner has gone down in the Java Sea just minutes after departing Jakarta.
Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed shortly after take-off on Saturday afternoon, and debris has been spotted on the surface, a spokeperson from the Basarnas rescue agency said.
It entered the water close to Laki Island, based on debris found, which includes what are thought to be passengers’ items such as clothes.
Flight SJ 182 was heading to the city of Pontianak and lost contact within minutes above the Pulau Seribu (Thousand Islands) archipelago just north of Jakarta.
According to FlightRadar24,, the plane lost 10,000 feet in just one minute.
The aircraft is a Boeing 737-500 carrying 62 passengers and crew members.
CNN Indonesia reported residents hearing two explosions.
"Sriwijaya Air is still in contact with various related parties to get more detailed information regarding the SJ-182 flight," the airline said.
"Management is still communicating and investigating this matter and will immediately issue an official statement after obtaining the actual information."
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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