A Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 operating flight SJ182 from Jakarta to Pontianak has gone missing shortly after departure from Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday.
PT Angkasa Pura II Manager of Branch Communication Haerul Anwar confirmed that the Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 aircraft with 62 persons aboard had lost contact, IndiaTimes reports.
A statement released by the airline said the plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province on Indonesia’s Borneo island.
According to AirLive.net, there were 62 people on board – 56 passengers, four crew members and two pilots.
Of the 56 passengers, 46 were adults, seven were children and three were infants.
Radar contact with the Boeing 737 was lost about five minutes after departure and ADS-B flight tracking services showed the aircraft making a rapid descend.
Reports that debris has been found in the area where search and rescue operations for Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 are being conducted, but there is no confirmation they belong to the Boeing 737 aircraft.
There are currently no information about the condition of the crew or passengers but search continues.
The aircraft involved is registered as PK-CLC and is a 26-year old Boeing 737-500 which was first delivered to Continental Airlines in 1994.
Sriwijaya Air took delivery of the plane in 2012 and has operated it ever since.
Indonesia, with more than 260 million people, has been plagued by transportation accidents on land, sea and air because of overcrowding on ferries, aging infrastructure and poorly enforced safety standards.
More details to come.
