Families of Lion Air crash victims hold rally
JAKARTA: Families of some of the 189 people killed in a Lion Air plane crash held a protest rally here yesterday, while stalled efforts to bring the main wreckage to the surface and find the second black box are set to resume next week.
The Boeing’s 737 MAX jet crashed into the Java Sea on Oct 29 shortly after take-off from here, but the families expressed concern that the remains of 64 passengers have yet to be identified, with just 30 per cent of the plane’s body found.
About 30 people attended a rally outside the presidential palace here, holding placards calling for Lion Air to put safety over profit and for President Joko Widodo to ensure the remains are recovered.
“Maximum efforts have not been done,” said Johan Hari Saroinsong, whose son Hizkia died in the crash.
“It is shallow water in the Java Sea, only 35m deep.”
Lion Air is paying for a specialised ship to help lift the main wreckage of flight JT 610 and give investigators a better chance of finding the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) in a search that has lacked sophisticated equipment for the last month.
Indonesia’s national transport panel said the vessel was due to arrive on Monday.
The enhanced search will cost US$2.8 million (RM11.7 million) for the first 10 days, a source close to the airline said, adding that Lion Air was paying because the government did not have the budget.