Getty Rescuers at the site of the Indonesia Plane crash of Lion Air Flight 610
A Lion Air Boeing 737 airplane carrying at least 188 souls on board plummeted into the sea upon take off from Jakarta, in Indonesia. You can see photos and videos of the plane crash debris field throughout this article. Be aware that some of the pictures are disturbing because of the nature of the tragedy.
Government photo of the rescue scene
These photos come from an official government page. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho is the country’s disaster agency spokesman, and he tweeted out a series of images.
The translation in one of his tweets reads, in part, “The fall of the Lion Air plane JT 610 near facilities subsidiary PT Pertamina (Persero)…Officer PHE ONWJ perform evacuation and take the documentation.”
Jatuhnya pesawat Lion Air JT 610 di dekat fasilitas Anak usaha PT Pertamina (Persero), Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ) di lepas pantai di utara Bekasi, Jawa Barat. Petugas PHE ONWJ melakukan evakuasi dan mengambil dokumentasi.
Here’s another close-up photo from the scene.
Here’s what you need to know:
Children Were on Board the Doomed Plane
Tragically, according to CNN, the Lion Air plane was carrying children among the passengers. Tragic photos showed crying relatives waiting for news of their loved ones back at the airport.
CNN reported that there were 181 passengers on board – and a child and two babies were among them. The rest of those on board were pilots and crew members, the network reported.
The captain was named as Captain Bhavye Suneja of New Delhi. You can see a photo from his Facebook page above.
The government disaster official also wrote that divers were searching for the plane, writing, “Currently SAR team Basarnas doing dives 90 degrees 05 ‘ dikoordinat 361 “S-107 degrees 06 ‘ 618″ E for search for Lion Air plane that crashed in 610 JT waters Karawang in West Java.”
There didn’t appear to be much left of the plane.
Divers suited up.
According to the BBC, Flight JT 610 was heading toward Pangkal Pinang, “the main town in the Bangka Belitung Islands,” when it crashed.
Jatuhnya pesawat Lion Air JT 610 di dekat fasilitas Anak usaha PT Pertamina (Persero), Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ) di lepas pantai di utara Bekasi, Jawa Barat. Petugas PHE ONWJ melakukan evakuasi dan mengambil dokumentasi.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and it was not yet clear whether there were any survivors. However, photos and video from the scene on October 29, 2018 showed severe damage to personal belongings and other debris.
WATCH: Debris from #LionAir flight #JT610 floating in the sea off Java, after it crashed shortly after take off from Jakarta (📹: BNPB Indonesia) t.co/Jgktzd63X2 #jakarta #BreakingNews #PrayForJT610 #bali #planecrash #LionAircrash
Photos showed rescuers at the scene:
Members of a rescue team prepare to search for survivors from the Lion Air flight JT 610, which crashed into the sea, at Jakarta seaport on October 29, 2018.
This map shows the plane’s course. The plane’s captain had asked to return to the airport before the aircraft crashed.
Lion Air JT 610 crashed just 13 minutes after take off from Jakarta airport and is reported to have gone down in water about 30 to 40 metres deep
t.co/yb1pybVF4s
“The plane crashed into water about 30 to 40m deep,” Search and Rescue Agency spokesman Yusuf Latif told AFP. “We’re still searching for the remains of the plane.” CNN reported there may have been 189 people on board.
जकार्ता-188 यात्रियों को लेकर जा रहा इंडोनेशियाई विमान JT-610 क्रैश: रॉयटर्स t.co/qVKZSwPceE
Boeing Airplanes wrote on Twitter, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of Lion Air Flight JT 610. We express our concern for those on board, and extend heartfelt sympathies to their families and loved ones.”
Serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di Perairan Karawang banyak ditemukan mengapung di permukaan laut. Kapal USV Fulmar menemukan serpihan berupa pelampung, HP dan lainnya. Basarnas dibantu Kementerian Perhubungan, TNI, Polri & relawan terus lakulan evakuasi.
One widely circulated photo on Twitter showing the plane in the water nearly intact appears to be from a past plane crash; the photos of the Lion Air 610 crash scene do not show the aircraft visible on the waters, but, rather, lost to the deep.
Boeing released the following statement:
The Indonesia Ministry of Transportation has confirmed it has located the wreckage of Lion Air Flight JT 610, a 737 MAX 8 en route from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang.
The Boeing Company is deeply saddened by the loss of Flight JT 610. We express our concern for those on board, and extend heartfelt sympathies to their families and loved ones.
Boeing stands ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation. In accordance with international protocol, all inquiries about aviation accident investigations must be directed to the Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC).
FlightRadar24, a site that tracks air traffic, reported on Twitter that its data showed “a high rate of descent.”
We have processed the granular ADS-B data received from #JT610. Last signal was received at 23:31:56.030 UTC from -5.81346, 107.12698 at 425 ft AMSL. Final ADS-B data received from the aircraft indicates a high rate of descent.
Data and context: t.co/QCUucGKVHr
“The flight was operated by Boeing 737 MAX 8 registration PK-LQP. The aircraft was delivered to Lion Air in August of this year. It is powered by two CFM LEAP-1B engines,” the site reported. The cause of the plane crash is not yet clear. First Post reported that a tug boat saw the plane fall out of the air about 13 minutes after the aircraft took off.
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