Search and rescue efforts underway for Lion Air crash

The cause of Lion Air JT 610 crash yesterday remains unknown as search and rescue operations continue around Tanjung Pakis, Kerawang, West Java.

The ill-fated Boeing 737 Max 8 plane lost contact 13 minutes after take-off yesterday morning from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. It was bound for Pangkal Pinang, Bangka Island, carrying 189 people. All passengers are feared dead.

Apart from the plane’s captain Bhavye Harvino, an Indian passport holder, all passengers on board were Indonesians, more than 20 of whom were government officials returning to their posts in Pangkal Pinang after spending the weekend with families in Jakarta.

Search and rescue teams are currently working round the clock to locate the exact location of the wreck, and the search for the black box is also underway.

Technical issues were earlier reported for the plane during its Denpasar-Jakarta service on Sunday evening. However, Edward Sirait, CEO of Lion Air told the media that the airline’s engineers had fixed the problem and the flight was cleared to fly and landed safely in Jakarta.

Edward added that the plane was airworthy and pilot had taken all pre-flight inspections according to procedures.

Lion Air has just acquired the Boeing 737 Max 8 in August and has operated eight of 11 it has on order. The aircraft had only 800 hours of flight time recorded.

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