' No survivors are expected' after a passenger plane crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Indonesia's capital. Lion Air flight JT610 plunged into the sea after losing contact with ground officials 13 minutes after take-off. An official told reporters: "I predict there are no survivors, based on body parts found so far." The pilot of the plane had requested to return to the airport shortly before it plunged into the sea. Merdiana Harahap (right) who is waiting for news of her husband is consoled / AFP/Getty Images Indonesia's president Joko Widodo has ordered the National Commission for Transport Safety to investigate the crash. A tug boat saw the jet fall into the sea shortly after it departed Jakarta at 6.20am (11.20pm Sunday, UK time). An oil slick has been spotted close to where the jet plunged into the sea / AFP/Getty Images The waters where the jet went down are up to 100 feet deep. Agency head Muhammad Syaugi told a news conference that no distress signals had been received from the jet. There were two foreign passengers among those onboard including the pilot originally from New Delhi and an Italian citizen. Images posted by the country’s disaster agency online show a crushed smartphone, books, bags, headphones and parts of the aircraft’s fuselage that had been collected by search and rescue vessels. Lion Air crash in Indonesia 1 /41 Lion Air crash in Indonesia Recovered personal items of passengers on board the ill-fated Lion Air flight JT 610 are laid out at the search and rescue operations centre AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Indonesian Navy Seals dive during the recovery mission for the crashed Lion Air flight EPA EPA EPA Indonesia's President Joko Widodo holds a personal item from Lion Air flight Getty Images Indonesia's President Joko Widodo (C), inspects recovered debris and personal items from Lion Air flight Getty Images Getty Images Search and Rescue personnel examine recovered debris Getty Images EPA AP Indonesian search and rescue personnel prepare for a recovery mission after Lion Air flight JT610 crashed into the sea AFP/Getty Images Oil slick where Lion Air flight JT 610 reportedly crashed into the sea off the coast of Indonesia's Java island AFP/Getty Images Members of a rescue team prepare to search for survivors from the Lion Air flight JT 610 AFP/Getty Images Relatives of passengers arrive at Lion Air's crisis center at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang AP Nugroho from Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency shows personnel looking at items believed to be from the wreckage AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Indonesian rescuers evacuating parts from a crashed Lion Air passenger plane in waters off Tanjung Karawang EPA A rescue team member points to the location where Indonesia's Lion Air flight JT 610 had crashed into the sea AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images EPA EPA Bangka Belitung province governor Erzaldi Rosman Djohan (seated C, holding microphone), addresses journalists AFP/Getty Images AP Members of a rescue team prepare to search for survivors AFP/Getty Images Airport authority head Bagus Sunjoyo (3rd R, holding microphone) addresses journalists after Lion Air flight JT 610 crashed into the sea AFP/Getty Images EPA An aerial view shows the site where it is believed the Lion Air flight JT610 crashed Reuters EPA AFP/Getty Images EPA A member of an Indonesian rescue team conducting a briefing on handling the evacuation process EPA EPA EPA Indonesian rescue team members collecting the remains of the crashed plane at Tanjung Priok Harbou EPA Indonesian rescue team members collecting the remains of the crashed plane at Tanjung Priok Harbou EPA AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images Spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the aircraft, on a 70 minute flight to Pangkal Pinang on an island chain off Sumatra, was carrying 181 passengers, including one child and two babies, and seven crew members. At least 23 government officials were on board the plane. Relatives have turned up to the National Search and Rescue Agency's headquarters in Jakarta desperate for news. Relatives of those onboard wait for news at Depati Amir Airport / AP One relative, Feni, said her soon to be married sister was on the flight. She said: "We are here to find any information about my younger sister, her fiance, her in-law to be and a friend of them. We don't have any information. Rescuers search for survivors following a plane crash in Indonesia / REUTERS "No one provided us with any information that we need. We're confused. We hope that our family is still alive." Data for Flight 610 on aircraft tracking website FlightAware ends just a few minutes following takeoff. Indonesian TV showed dozens of people waiting anxiously outside the Pangkal Pinang airport and officials bringing out plastic chairs. Indonesian relatives of the plane crash victims cry as they wait for the news at the airport / EPA Lion Air is one of Indonesia's youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations. According to the airlines, the plane had been in operation since August, with its pilot and co-pilot having accumulated 11,000 hours of flying time. Edward Sirait, the chief executive of Lion Air Group said: “We don’t dare to say what the facts are, or are not, yet. We are also confused about the why, since it was a new plane.” Images show debris recovered from the scene / REUTERS He added that the aircraft had a technical problem on a flight from the resort island of Bali to Jakarta but it had been "resolved according to procedure." The issue with the earlier would be part of the investigation of Monday's crash, he said. A Lion Air plane landing at the Mutiara Sis Al Jufri airport in Palu, earlier this month / ADEK BERRY/AFP/Getty Images Australia's foreign affairs ministry says that Australian government officials and contractors "have been instructed not to fly on Lion Air or their subsidiary airlines" following the crash. The statement posted on the ministry's website said the decision will be reviewed when the findings of the crash investigation are clear.<doc-sep>Axios Exxon shareholders, bucking company management, voted to install at least two new members to the oil giant's board in a push to make Exxon more aggressive on addressing climate change and more disciplined in its oil investments.Why it matters: Exxon management campaigned strongly against the entire slate of four people nominated by Engine No. 1, the activist investment group whose campaign was backed by several major pension funds.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeThe election of two of the four would avoid what could have been a categorical rebuke of the oil giant's strategy, but it still represents significant investor dissent.The vote in favor of the two new board members shows that many investors see Exxon, which has had a rocky financial performance in recent years, as poorly positioned for the future. Driving the news: Shareholders voted to add Gregory Goff and Kaisa Hietala at the oil giant's annual meeting Wednesday, Exxon said at the conclusion of voting. Tabulations on other candidates are still pending, though one of the Engine No. 1 candidates was voted down, Exxon stated in a press release. It's possible that one other activist candidate will still prevail.Hietala is a a former renewables executive with the refining company Neste and Goff is the former CEO of the refiner Andeavor.What they're saying: Charlie Penner, one of Engine No. 1's leaders, told shareholders at the meeting that Exxon management is "determined to fight off the future for as long as possible," but added: "change is coming. "The big picture: The battle over replacing members of Exxon's 13-person board comes amid increasing pressure on oil majors to do more on climate change.European-based multinational giants are diversifying more widely and vowing long-term transformations to "net-zero" emissions companies by 2050.Engine No. 1 also says Exxon lacks "any serious diversification efforts" that will prepare it to thrive in a low-carbon world. The group says Exxon needs a more cautious investment approach around oil and gas.Engine No. 1's candidates won the backing of some of the company's largest shareholders, including BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street.Yes, but: Exxon says it's in step with the evolving energy mix, citing growing emphasis on carbon capture and large market opportunities there, and efforts on hydrogen and biofuels.Exxon also argues its adjusted capital strategy will deliver strong returns in oil and gas, which it notes will remain huge markets for decades despite low-carbon energy growth.The company recently set new near- and medium-term targets to cut emissions intensity (that is, emissions per unit of output), but has eschewed the long-term carbon neutrality vows of its European peers.“ExxonMobil is in a strong position to create differentiating value throughout the energy transition,” CEO Darren Woods said, touting Exxon's oil-and-gas portfolio and its investment in climate technologies. "We welcome the new directors Gregory Goff in Kaisha Hietala to the board and look forward to working with them constructively and collectively on behalf of all shareholders," Woods said.Go deeper: The intensifying battle for Exxon's futureLike this article? Get more from Axios and subscribe to Axios Markets for free.<doc-sep>All 189 passengers and crew aboard a crashed Indonesian Lion Air jet were "likely" killed in the accident, the search and rescue agency said on Monday, as it announced it had found human remains. The Boeing-737 MAX, which went into service just months ago, vanished from radar 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta, plunging into the Java Sea moments after it had asked to be allowed to return to the Indonesian capital. Websites that display flight data showed the plane speeding up as it suddenly lost altitude in the minutes before it disappeared. "My prediction is that nobody survived because the victims that we found, their bodies were no longer intact and it's been hours so it is likely 189 people have died," search and rescue agency operational director Bambang Suryo Aji told reporters. Some 40 divers are part of about 150 personnel at the scene, authorities said, with the plane in water about 30 to 40 metres deep. Earlier, video footage apparently filmed at the scene of the crash showed a slick of fuel on the surface of the water and pictures showed what appeared to be an emergency slide and bits of wreckage bearing Lion Air's logo. The carrier acknowledged that the jet had previously been grounded for unspecified repairs. The plane had been en route to Pangkal Pinang city, a jumping off point for beach-and-sun seeking tourists on nearby Belitung island, when it dropped out of contact around 6.30 am (2330 GMT). It was not yet known if there were any foreigners on board. Images filmed at Pangkal Pinang's main airport showed families of passengers crying and hugging each other, with some yelling "Oh God". "This morning he called asking about our youngest son," said a sobbing Ermayati, referring to her 45-year-old husband Muhammed Syafii, who was on board. Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) said there were 178 adult passengers, one child, two infants, two pilots and six cabin crew on board flight JT 610. The transport ministry had initially said there was a total of 188 people on board. The finance ministry said around 20 of its employees were on the plane. Among them were half a dozen colleagues of Sony Setiawan, who was supposed to be on the flight but missed check in due to bad traffic. "I know my friends were on that flight," he told AFP. Setiawan said he was only informed about his lucky escape after he arrived in Pangkal Pinang on another flight at 9:40am. "My family was in shock and my mother cried, but I told them I was safe, so I just have to be grateful." Lion Air said the plane had only gone into service in August. The pilot and co-pilot had more than 11,000 hours of flying time between them and had recent medical checkups and drug testing, it added. Lion Air CEO Edward Sirait said the plane had an unspecified technical issue fixed in Bali before it was flown back to Jakarta. "Engineers in Jakarta received notes and did another repair before it took off" on Monday, Edward Sirait told AFP, calling it "normal procedure". Poor safety record US-based Boeing said it was "deeply saddened" by news of the crash. Boeing, just days out from its first commercial delivery of the 737 MAX in May last year, reportedly suspended its release due to an engine issue, according to airline safety and product review site airlineratings.com. It said the engines were a product of a joint venture between US-based General Electric and France's Safran Aircraft Engines. Earlier this year, Lion Air announced it was buying 50 Boeing 737 MAX 10 jets for $6.24 billion. Indonesia's air travel industry is booming, with the number of domestic passengers growing significantly over the past decade, but it has acquired a reputation for poor regulation and its airlines had once been banned from US and European airspace. 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. In 2014, poor maintenance and the pilots' inadequate response was blamed for the crash of an AirAsia plane crashed with the loss of 162 lives. Lion, a low-cost airline which has engaged in a huge expansion in recent years, has been involved in a number of incidents including a fatal 2004 crash and a collision between two Lion Air planes at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport.<doc-sep>A passenger plane carrying 189 people crashed into the sea off Jakarta on Monday minutes after taking off on a domestic flight to an Indonesian tin-mining region. Lion Air flight JT610, travelling from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka, lost contact with air traffic control about 13 minutes after it took off, shortly after its pilot had asked to return to base. Flight data showed that it made a sudden, sharp dive into the sea. Officials said human remains had been recovered from the crash site, about nine miles (15km) off the coast, and that they did not expect to find survivors. The plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8 jet, a new model that was launched globally only last year. The specific plane had been in use for less than three months. Lion Air’s chief executive, Edward Sirait, told reporters the plane had suffered “a technical issue” on Sunday night but engineers had cleared it to fly on Monday morning. “This plane previously flew from Denpasar to Jakarta,” he said. “There was a report of a technical issue, which had been resolved according to procedure.” Sirait did not elaborate on the specific issue, and said he had no plans to ground the rest of Lion Air’s Max 8 fleet. The airline operates 11 of the Boeing planes. On Monday rescuers released footage of debris and personal items floating in the water at the crash site, including handbags, clothing, mobile phones, ID cards and driving licences. Dozens of divers from the national search and rescue agency and the military were working to retrieve the bodies of victims. At Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta, relatives arrived at the airport crisis centre, many too distressed to talk to the media. Tugi, a Jakarta resident, came to inquire about his friend Wendy. “I came to try and get some information, but they can’t give us any answers,” he said. “They don’t know yet, so I am going home and will monitor the media reports from there.” Forensics officers have told family members of those on board that they can assist with the identification process by providing medical and dental records at the police hospital in East Jakarta. About 20 of the 189 people on board were Indonesian finance department officials who had travelled to Jakarta for a conference. Three children, two of them infants, and eight crewmembers were also among those on board. A statement from Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said the aircraft’s emergency locator transmitter had not sent out a distress signal despite being certified to work until August 2019. The plane went down in waters about 30-35 metres (98-115ft) deep. Indonesia’s disaster agency spokesman posted video of debris on Twitter. Serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang. Beberapa kapal tug boad membantu menangani evakuasi. Video diambil petugas tug boad yang ada di perairan Karawang. pic.twitter.com/4GhKcRYkpG — Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018 Another official said he could not confirm the cause of the crash, as the plane’s black box, comprising the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, had yet to be recovered. But it was confirmed that the pilot had requested to turn back shortly after takeoff. “We will collect all data from the control tower,” said Soerjanto Tjahjono, the official. “The plane is so modern, it transmits data from the plane and that we will review too. But the most important is the black box.” On Monday afternoon the national search and rescue agency said it had determined the location of the black box, but had not yet managed to retrieve it. Profile Boeing 737 Max 8 Show The Lion Air plane that crashed into the sea moments after takeoff on Monday had been used by the airline for only two months. It has been described as the “world’s most reliable airplane”. The 737 MAX 8 model was first operated for a commercial flight in May 2017 by Malindo Air, but has since been adopted by airlines globally. The plane is a variant of the Boeing 737 Max series, which is the fastest selling plane in Boeing history. Worth upwards of £70m, the Max 8 version has an air range of 6,570km and a passenger capacity of up to 210. The planes are built at Boeing’s factory in Renton, Washington, in the US. The plane has been purchased by airlines across the world, including American Airlines, United Airlines, Ryanair, Jet Airlines, FlyDubai, Norwegian Air, Iceland Air, SilkAir, Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, Air Canada and Malaysia Airlines. In 2012, Lion Air was one of the first airlines to finalise an order – worth $22.4bn – with Boeing for the 737 Max. As of April this year, eight of the 201 planes ordered had been delivered to Lion Air. According to company reports, as of September 2018 the Boeing 737 Max had received 4,783 firm orders from more than 100 countries. Boeing says carbon emissions and cabin noise are down 20% and 40% respectively on previous models. The crash in Indonesia was the first incident involving the 737 Max model. In a statement released after the Indonesia crash, Boeing said the company “stands ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation". Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. The incident is the first to be reported that involves the widely sold Max 8, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the common 737. The first Boeing 737 Max jets were introduced into service in 2017. Boeing and the US National Transportation Safety Board both said on Monday that they were providing assistance to Indonesian accident investigators. The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, expressed his condolences in a televised address. Australian government officials have been instructed not to fly with Lion Air until the cause of the crash can be determined. Indonesia is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, although its safety record is patchy. The crash could potentially be the country’s second worst air disaster since 1997, industry experts said. Reuters contributed to this report<doc-sep>
Thomas Maresca Special to USA TODAY An Indonesian passenger jet with 189 people on board crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the country's capital Jakarta early Monday. The new plane was delivered to low-cost carrier Lion Air in August. Indonesian search and rescue official Bambang Suryo Aji said the recovery effort was focusing on finding bodies and that he was not expecting anyone to have survived, according to The Associated Press. He said some human remains had been recovered. Flight JT 610 took off at 6:20 a.m. local time and crashed just 13 minutes later, officials from Indonesia’s transport ministry said. The flight was bound for the city of Pangkal Pinang on Bangka – Indonesia's ninth-largest island – when it lost contact. More:Lion Air crash: Traffic saved Sony Setiawan from doomed Flight JT 610 Search and rescue official Nugroho Budi Wiryanto said the plane’s black box had not yet been found. The plane crashed in water around 100 to 115 feet deep, transport ministry officials said. In an official statement, the rescue agency said the reason for the crash was still uncertain and confirmed that the plane's emergency local transmitter beacon did not emit a distress signal. The plane had requested to return to Jakarta shortly after takeoff, according to Directorate of Air Transport spokesman Sindu Rahayu. "The plane had requested to return to base before finally disappearing from the radar," he said in a statement. Images of debris and items such as a cellphone and flotation devices in the sea were posted on Twitter by Search and Rescue Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. The plane was a new Boeing 737 MAX 8 that was delivered to Lion Air in August, according to data from air traffic tracking site Flightradar24. The official China News Service said a Chinese company, China Minsheng Investment Group Leasing Holdings Ltd., owned the plane and leased it to Lion Air. The president of Lion Air, Edward Sirait, told reporters Monday that the plane had a technical issue on its previous flight but said it had been resolved according to the manufacturer’s procedures. He did not provide any specific details on that incident. Lion Air provided the name of the pilots and cabin crew on board. The captain, Bhavye Suneja, had more than 6,000 flight hours, and the co-pilot, who was listed with the single name Harvino, had more than 5,000 flight hours, according to a statement. Many Indonesians go by only one name. The Boeing 737 MAX series has only been in commercial operation since 2016, and this is the first crash involving the aircraft, a single-aisle plane used for short-haul flights. The plane, which has a capacity of up to 210 passengers, has received 4,783 orders by airlines, with 219 fulfilled as of September 2018, according to company data. In a statement, Boeing expressed sympathies to the victims and their families and said that it “stands ready to provide technical assistance to the accident investigation.” Lion Air, which was founded in 1999, has had some safety and maintenance issues in the past and was banned from flying into European airspace from 2007 until 2016. The airline had a crash in 2004 that killed 25 and has had a number of other incidents, including a crash landing in the sea near Bali in which all 108 passengers survived. The Australian government announced on Monday that it was instructing all government officials and contractors not to fly Lion Air until the findings of the crash investigation are clear.