All 189 in new jet’s crash likely dead
Series of trapedies has BESET Indonesia in 2018
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Rescuers in inflatable boats retrieved human remains, pieces of aircraft and personal belongings from the Java Sea on Monday after a Boeing jet operated by an Indonesian budget airline crashed minutes after takeoff, killing all 189 people on board.
Family members struggled to comprehend the loss of loved ones in the crash of the 2-month-old Lion Air plane with experienced pilots in fine weather.
They gathered at crisis centers set up by the authorities, hoping for a miracle. But a top search official, citing the condition of the remains recovered, said there likely are no survivors.
The crash of the Boeing 737 Max
8 is the latest in a series of tragedies that have struck Indonesia this year, including earthquakes and a tsunami that killed several thousand people.
An air transport official, Novie Riyanto, said the flight was cleared to return to Jakarta after the pilot made a “return to base” request two to three minutes after taking off. It plunged into the sea about 10 minutes later. The plane, which Lion Air received in August, had experienced an unspecified technical issue on its previous flight.
More than 300 people including soldiers, police and fishermen were involved in the search, retrieving debris and personal items such as a crumpled cellphone, ID cards and carry-on bags from the seas northeast of Jakarta.
Search and Rescue Agency chief Muhammad Syaugi said he was certain it wouldn’t take long to locate the hull of the aircraft and its black box due to the relatively shallow 100- to 115-foot depths of the waters it plunged into.
The jet, on a one-hour flight, was carrying 181 passengers, including one child and two babies, and eight crew members.
The crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an Airasia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board.
Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 from flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade. The ban was lifted in June. The U.S. lifted a decadelong ban in 2016.