Family members and friends in anxious wait at airport

Distraught family members and friends prayed and comforted each other at Pangkal Pinang airport, hoping for the latest news on the Lion Air crash. Others went to the National Search and Rescue Agency headquarters in Jakarta.

Feni, who uses a single name, said her soon-to-bemarried sister was on the flight, planning to meet relatives in Pangkal Pinang.

“We are here to learn any information about my younger sister, her fiance, her prospective in-law and a friend of theirs,” Feni said.

“We don’t have any information. No one has provided us with any of the details that we need. We’re confused. We hope that our family is still alive.”

Footage shot at Pangkal Pinang’s main airport showed families of passengers crying and hugging each other, with some yelling “Oh God”.

A sobbing woman named Ermayati, referring to her 45-year-old husband Muhammed Syafii, who was on board, said, “This morning he called asking about our youngest son.”

The Indonesian Finance Ministry said about 20 of its employees were on the plane.

“I still hope for a miracle that some passengers are still alive,” said Sendi Arika, whose uncle, who works for the ministry, was on the flight.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani arrived at the rescue agency and met with its chief, seeking information about ministry staff members on the flight.

Among the 189 people on board were eight crew members, one baby, two children, and about 20 members of staff from the Finance Ministry.

Boeing, manufacturer of the stricken plane, said in a statement that it was deeply saddened by the accident.

It said the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation had confirmed it had located wreckage from the flight.

“We express our concern for those on board and extend heartfelt sympathy to their families and loved ones,” the statement said.

“Boeing stands ready to provide technical assistance for the accident investigation. In accordance with international protocol, all inquiries about aviation accident investigations must be directed to Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee.”