A search and rescue mission has been launched after a plane with 62 people on board went missing just minutes after leaving an airport in the Indonesian capital.
Sriwijaya Air flight 182 lost contact with aviation authorities shortly after taking off from Jakarta.
The plane departed the Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International Airport for Pontianak, on the island of Borneo, just before 1.56pm local time.
Sixty-two people were said to be on board the passenger jet – 56 passengers and six crew members.
All contact with the aircraft was lost at about 2.40pm.
Flightradar24 said it received reports that the Boeing 737-500 went missing in Indonesia.
It is said to have lost more than 10.000ft of altitude in less than one minute, only four minutes after leaving the airport.
The group posted to Twitter: “We are following reports of a missing Boeing 737-500 in Indonesia. We hope to have more information soon.”
The plane’s status is currently listed as “unknown”.
This is what we know about Sriwijaya Air flight #SJ182 based on ADS-B data.
Route: Jakarta to Pontianak
Callsign: SJY182
Aircraft: Boeing 737-500, PK-CLC
Take off: 07:36 UTC
Highest altitude: 10,900 feet
Last altitude: 250 feet
Signal lost: 07:40 UTChttps://t.co/fNZqlIR2dz pic.twitter.com/CPzFJdsuJZ— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 9, 2021
We are following reports of a missing Boeing 737-500 in Indonesia. We hope to have more information soon.
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) January 9, 2021
Indonesian Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati said: “The missing plane is currently under investigation and under co-ordination with the National Search and Rescue Agency and the National Transportation Safety Committee.
A statement released by Sriwijaya Air said the plane was on an estimated 90-minute flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan.
