Debris has been found in the Java Sea as part of the search for a missing Lion Air plane, which disappeared minutes after taking off from Indonesia this morning. Indonesian authorities mounted a search and rescue operation for the Lion Air plane, which lost contact with air traffic control during a Pangkal Pinang-bound route from Jakarta. Lion Air flight JT-610 lost contact with authorities at 6.33am, 13 minutes after take-off, 34 nautical miles from the Basarnas office. AIRLINE RATINGS: LION AIR The Boeing 737 was originally scheduled to arrive at Pangkal Pinang at 7.20am. Indonesia transport ministry official confirmed the plane was carrying 189 people - including two infants and crew. The plane, with a seating capacity of 210, disappeared near Karawang in West Java province, said Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for the National Search and Rescue Agency. Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) spokesman, Yusuf Latif, told News Corporation the aircraft has crashed near Tanjung Karawang in the waters off West Java. The Agency’s Basarnas chief, M Syaugi said the agency had already found other debris from the aircraft including mobile phones and buoys. Mr Syaugi said the debris was found just two nautical miles from the co-ordinates given by air traffic control. MORE: Lion Air crash plane's erratic altitude and speed data graphs "We are there now, our vessels and helicopter, to give assistance,”:he said. "The water there is around 30 to 35 metres deep. We are now still trying to dive to find the aircraft. Hopefully the process would not take long." Camera Icon Debris reportedly found during the search for the missing aircraft. Credit: @Sutopo_PN/Twitter Photographs, claimed to have been taken during the search for the missing aircraft show what appears to be panels from a plane and belongings including a crushed mobile phone. Twitter user Sutopo Purwo Nugroho posted the images on Twitter, claiming they were from the aircraft. A shipping traffic officer in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, Suyadi, told The Jakarta Post that he has received a report from a tugboat, AS Jaya II, that the crew had seen a downed plane in Tanjung Bungin in Karawang, West Java. Camera Icon The flight path followed by the Lion Air flight. "At 7:15am the tugboat reported it had approached the site and the crew saw the debris of a plane," Suyadi said. As of 9am there was no report about passengers or the plane crew, he said. Two other ships, a tanker and a cargo ship, near the location were approaching the site, he said, and a Basarnas rescue boat was also on the way. Indonesia’s state air navigation operator AirNav has alerted search and rescue authorities, spokesman Yohannes Harry Douglas said in a text message. Air spokesman Danang Mandala Prihantoro said "we can confirm that one of our flights has lost contact, its position cannot be ascertained yet". The Flightradar website tracked the plane, showing it looping south on take-off and then heading north before the flight path ended abruptly over the Java Sea, not far from the coast. Camera Icon Belongings reportedly found during the search for the Lion Air plane. Credit: @Sutopo_PN/Twitter The plane involved was a Boeing Co 737 Max-8 model. The aircraft is believed to be just two months old, and a significantly updated version over older 737 models. The last major accident in Indonesia was in December 2014 when AirAsia Indonesia’s Airbus A320 aircraft crashed into the waters after taking off from Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board. Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to connect its thousands of islands but has a poor aviation safety record and has suffered several fatal crashes in recent years. A 12-year-old boy was the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed eight people in mountainous eastern Indonesia in August. In August 2015, a commercial passenger aircraft operated by Indonesian carrier Trigana crashed in Papua due to bad weather, killing all 54 people on board.<doc-sep>Lion Air plane crash: Rescue operations underway/ Courtesy: Twitter: Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (Indonesian civil servant) Twitter | Photo Credit: Twitter Jakarta: Lion Air flight from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang, that had gone missing 13 minutes after take-off has crashed- news agency Reuters reported. Indonesian search and rescue agency confirmed that all 189 aboard crashed Lion Air jet were 'dead'. The Indonesian authorities mounted a search and rescue operation for the missing Lion Air plane, which lost contact with air traffic controllers (ATC) at about 6.33 am today- The Straits Times reported. News agency AFP reported that the flight- Lion Air JT 610 had requested to return to Jakarta airport before disappearing from radar. Citing Indonesian search and rescue agencies, Reuters reported that the passenger flight crashed into the sea. "It has been confirmed that it has crashed," Yusuf Latif, the agency's spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters. According to multiple reports, the plane lost contact with the Air Traffic Control within 13 minutes after take-off. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 had 181 passengers on board including a child and two infants- CNN reported. Two boats, 130 rescuers were deployed for searching for the debris 34 miles north the coast of Jakarta. Citing officials of the National Search and Rescue Agency (SAR) who addressed a press conference, CNN reported that two life vests and a mobile phone were recovered from the coordinates, where the plane disappeared, thus confirming the crash. In a detailed statement released on their website, Boeing said, "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 the international protocol, all inquiries about aviation accident investigations must be directed to Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC)." 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. STATEMENT: https://t.co/5e18xbb4uX — Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) October 29, 2018 Saat ini tim SAR Basarnas melakukan penyelaman dikoordinat 05 derajat 90' 361" S - 107 derajat 06' 618" E untuk mencari pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang Jawa Barat. pic.twitter.com/XK0UiSKyfH — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 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. pic.twitter.com/A4wjeoE5tl — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 Crisis Center Penanganan Jatuhnya Pesawat Lion Air JT 610. Silakan menghubungi crisis center di nomor 021-80820000 dan untuk infomasi penumpang di nomor 021-80820002. Corporate Communications Strategic of Lion Air, Danang Mandala Prihantoro +62 8788 033 3170 pic.twitter.com/wtUQxVytXt — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 Indonesia energy firm Pertamina official said debris, including plane seats, were found near its offshore facility in Java sea. Indonesia transport ministry official said that the crashed Lion Air flight was carrying 188 people, including crew, Reuters reported. The track of the flight showed no progress beyond 13 minutes, on flightradar24, a website that tracks movements of flights across the globe. While the number of people on-board the flight could not be ascertained at the time of the report, a massive search operation has been launched to locate the plane. "We cannot give any comment at this moment," Edward Strait, Chief executive of Lion Air Group was quoted by Reuters. #JT610 The plane appears to have gone down somewhere in the red circle. We know from previous incidents out there that it is very hard to be certain of locations. pic.twitter.com/AepgJaRB9r — Mike Chillit (@MikeChillit) October 29, 2018 News.com.au reported that the jet, with a seating capacity of 210 disappeared near Karawang in West Java Province. Unconfirmed reports said that plane debris was cited by a tugboat crew in Karawang.<doc-sep>Lion Air crash: Boeing 737 plane crashes in sea off Jakarta Published 29 October 2018 media caption Debris found from Lion Air crash in sea An Indonesian airliner has crashed into the sea with 189 people on board. The Boeing 737, owned by the low-cost airline Lion Air, went down after taking off from the capital Jakarta. Flight JT 610 was headed for the western city of Pangkal Pinang. Rescuers have recovered some bodies and personal items, including baby shoes. There is no sign of survivors. The cause of the crash, which involved a plane that had been in operation since August, remains unclear. The incident is reported to be the first major accident involving a Boeing 737 Max - an updated version of the 737. "We need to find the main wreckage," said Bambang Suryo, operational director of the search and rescue agency. "I predict there are no survivors, based on body parts found so far." image copyright EPA image caption Belongings - including a handbag - and debris are being recovered from the suspected crash site Families are being told to go to a hospital to identify the dead. What happened? Flight JT 610 took off from Jakarta at 06:20 on Monday (23:30 GMT on Sunday). It was due to arrive at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang an hour later but 13 minutes into the flight, authorities lost contact. The pilot had asked to return to Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport, officials say. Lion Air Chief Executive Edward Sirait said the plane had an unspecified "technical issue" on a previous flight, but he said that this had been "resolved". The airline operates 11 Boeing 737 Max 8 planes but the others have not had a similar technical problem and there is no plan to ground the fleet, he added. image copyright Reuters image caption Relatives of the passengers arrive at the crisis centre at Jakarta airport The head of Indonesia's disaster agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, has tweeted images of debris and personal belongings that came from the aircraft and had been found floating in the sea. Beberapa serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang. Pesawat membawa 178 penumpang dewasa, 1 penumpang anak-anak dan 2 bayi dengan 2 Pilot dan 5 FA. Basarnas dan Kementerian Perhubungan terus melakukan penanganan. Beberapa kapal tug boad berada di lokasi. pic.twitter.com/Gb6P4zjCQF — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. View original tweet on Twitter 'I can't live without her, I love her' by Rebecca Henschke, BBC Indonesia correspondent, Jakarta Relatives of those on board are waiting anxiously for any news at a crisis centre at Jakarta's Halim Perdanakusuma airport, their faces stained with tears. At a desk under a white tent, Lion Air staff are taking down their details. At the top of the forms, they are asked to specify their relationship to the missing - husband, mother, child. Murtado Kurniawan's wife was on the plane. They are newly married and she was making the journey for work. "I can't live without her, I love her," he says through tears. "The last thing I said to her, was 'be careful'. I always worry about her when she goes away. When I saw on TV that the plane had crashed, my whole body went weak." image caption Murtado Kurniawan's wife was on board Dede dropped her niece Fiona Ayu and her family off at the airport on Monday morning, to make the short journey home. Fiona is trying to get pregnant via IVF and her family thought it would be good for her to get some rest. "The airline kept telling us to wait and wait for news, but the images on social media and television are very bad," Dede says. "But I am still holding out hope that she will come back, I am praying and praying for that." What do we know about those on board? Lion Air said in a statement that the pilot and co-pilot had more than 11,000 flight hours between them. Three of the crew on board were trainee flight attendants and one was a technician. Twenty employees from Indonesia's finance ministry were also on board, the BBC has learned. A ministry spokesperson said they worked at the finance ministry offices in Pangkal Pinang but had been in Jakarta for the weekend. What do we know about this aircraft? The 737 Max series are the fastest-selling planes in Boeing history, and there are four models - the Max 7, Max 8, Max 9 and Max 10. The Boeing 737 Max 8 has been in commercial use since 2016. The aircraft involved in the crash was made in 2018. It is a single aisle plane used for short-haul travel. In a statement, Boeing expressed sympathy for the victims and families and said it "stands ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation". Australia told government workers and contractors to stop using the airline until the findings of the investigation were out. How is Indonesia's air safety record? Indonesia, a vast archipelago, is heavily reliant on air travel, but many of its airlines have a poor safety record. image copyright AFP image caption This Lion Air plane landed in the sea off Bali in 2013, but all passengers and crew survived Established in 1999, Lion Air operates domestic flights as well as international routes to South East Asia, Australia and the Middle East. It has had issues of safety and poor management in the past and was banned from flying into European airspace until 2016. In 2013, Lion Air flight 904 crashed into the sea on landing at Bali's International Airport. All 108 people on board survived. In 2004, flight 538 from Jakarta crashed and broke up on landing at Solo City, killing 25 people. In 2011 and 2012 a number of pilots were found in possession of methamphetamines, in one incident hours before a flight.<doc-sep>
A brand new Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 189 passengers and crew crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesian authorities said Monday. Search and rescue officials said they didn't expect to find any survivors. The plane entered service on Aug. 15. Flight JT610 hit the water 13 minutes after departing at 6:20 a.m. (7:20 p.m. ET Sunday) bound for Pangkal Pinang, the capital of the Sumatran island of Bangka-Belitung. Some personal items belonging to people on board were recovered from the water, along with small pieces of debris, rescue officials said. Rescuers search the waters for wreckage off the northern coast of Indonesia's Java island on Monday. BASARNAS / AFP - Getty Images It was carrying 189 people — 178 adult passengers, three infants, six crew members and two pilots. The pilot asked controllers to return to Jakarta three minutes after taking off. "We're still trying to figure out the reason," said Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia's transportation safety committee. The pilot was cleared to land back at Jakarta but plunged into the sea about 10 minutes later. Edward Sirait, president of the budget airline, told reporters that the plane had also encountered a technical problem on its previous flight that was resolved by engineers. "This aircraft last flew from Denpasar [Bali] to Cengkareng [Jakarta airport] and it was released to fly," he said. "There was a report about a technical problem, but we have worked on the technical issue based on the procedure from the aircraft manufacturer." Bambang Suryo Aji, the director of the national rescue agency, said the search effort was focused on finding bodies. Family members of passengers aboard a crashed Lion Air jet mourn at Pangkal Pinang airport on Monday. Hadi Sutrisno / AFP - Getty Images It's the world's first crash involving a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which is a significantly revamped version of the single-aisle workhorse. Across all models, the 737 is the best-selling commercial jetliner in history and has a strong safety record. A spokeswoman for CFM International, the manufacturer of the plane's two LEAP-1B engines, confirmed to NBC News that the company had been notified that the plane was missing. She said the company had no further information. Boeing said in a statement that it is ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation. "The Boeing Company is deeply saddened by the loss of Flight JT610," the statement read. "We express our concern for those on board, and extend heartfelt sympathies to their families and loved ones." Items found in the sea that are believed to be from the wreckage of the Lion Air flight. AFP - Getty Images Relatives of those on board gathered in Jakarta. Feni, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name, said her soon-to-be-married sister was on the flight, planning to meet relatives in Pangkal Pinang. "We are here to find any information about my younger sister, her fiancé, her in-law to be and a friend of them," Feni said. "We don't have any information. We're confused. We hope that our family is still alive." Data from flight tracking service FlightRadar24 show that the first sign that something was amiss came about two minutes into the flight, when the plane had reached 2,000 feet. At that point, it descended more than 500 feet and veered to the left before climbing again to 5,000 feet, where it stayed during most of the rest of the flight. It began gaining speed in the final moments and reached 345 knots (397 mph) before data were lost. Lion Air, which is privately owned, had a fatal accident in 2004 when an MD-82 crashed upon landing at Solo City, killing 25 of the 163 people on board, according to Aviation Safety Network. Fast growing Lion Air is one of the fastest low cost carriers on the planet. Like many Indonesian airlines, it has struggled with its safety record, suffering a major crash and multiple runway excursions, overruns. #JT610 — Jon Ostrower (@jonostrower) October 29, 2018 It has also had at least six other non-fatal accidents, including one in which a jet crash-landed in water short of the runway in Bali in 2013. The United States imposed a decade-long ban on Indonesian airlines in 2006 over the country's patchy safety record.