Lion Air CRASH: Boeing 737 with 189 people on board vanishes from radar and plunges in sea
A LION AIR aeroplane is missing after disappearing from radar just thirteen minutes after it took off from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, with 189 passengers on board the flight.
Lion Air crash: Rescuers attend scene of Boeing 737 crash
The Lion Air flight JT-610 took off from the Jakarta airport at 6.20am local time and lost contact at 6.33am (23.33pm GMT).
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was originally scheduled to arrive at Pangkal Pinang at 7.20am.
Lion Air Spokesman on Flight 610, which reportedly crashed off the coast of Indonesia, said: “We can confirm that one of our flights has lost contact, its position cannot be ascertained yet.”
Edward Sirait, the CEO of Lion Air group, said he was trying to find information on the plane but cannot give any further details at this stage.
He said: “We cannot give any comment at this moment.
“We are trying to collect all the information and data.”
There are believed to have been about 178 passengers on board the plane.
The plane lost contact 13 minutes after takeoff, according to the official.
The jet was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, according to air tracking service Flightradar 24.
A search and rescue team has been deployed to find the plane.
The team left Jakarta at roughly 6.20am local time on Monday.
A tugboat working close to where the plane is believed to have crashed was the first to report sightings of debris.
The accident is the first to involve the widely-sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer's workhorse single-aisle jet.
The first Boeing 737 MAX jets were introduced into service in 2017.
Lion Air is one of Indonesia's biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations.
In 2013, one of its Boeing 737-800 jets missed the runway while landing on the resort island of Bali, crashing into the sea without causing any fatalities among the 108 people on board.
Debris has been spotted including a passenger seat, Indonesian media have reported.
Personnel from Air Satpol have headed towards the crash site, they said.
Lion Air crash: Families of the victims arrive at crisis centre
The head of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management has tweeted about the fallen aircraft with images of the debris found from the plane.
He said: “A few parts of Lion Air plane 610 JT that crashed in the waters of Karachi.
“The plane was carrying 178 passengers.
“Basarnas and Ministry of Transportation continue to do handling.”