Durian. Indonesian search and rescue teams on Jan.10 have spotted location and found debris of Sriwijaya Air’s SJ-182 flight that was lost contact on Jan.9 after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, heading to Pontianak in West Kalimantan, with 62 people on board, at Thousand Islands waters, off Jakarta.
Body parts were also found during rescue operations until Jan.10 that were packed in five body bags and to be identified by the National Police’ (Polri) Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team at a police hospital in East Jakarta, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Jan.9 evening at Soekarno-Hatta airport confirmed the SJ-182 has lost contact with air traffic control four minutes after departing at 2.40p.m.western Indonesia time.
The minister confirmed the number of people on board which was 62 people – 50 passengers, including seven children and three babies; 12 crews, six were on duty and six others were on backup.
Ground staffs saw the airplane was moved to wrong direction and contacted the pilot to check but during the conversation within seconds, the flight was lost from ground’s monitor screen. ATC officers immediately contacted the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) to inform the event.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo immediately has given directive to conduct maximal search and rescue efforts to find the missing plane.
As of Jan.10, search and rescue efforts have spotted the signal of the missing airplane around Lancang Island and Laki Island waters on Thousand Islands area.
One of Basarnas rubber inflatable boats that have been participating in the operation KN SAR Wisnu has found five bags of body parts and three bags of pieces of airplane and handed them over to SAR Mission Coordinator Marine Brig. Gen. Rasman.
Five bags of body parts were taken by Polri’s DVI team to be examined further and three bags of part of airplane were handed over to the National Safety Transportation Agency (KNKT).
Indonesian Navy ship KRI Kerau has found children cloths besides pieces of the aircraft, type Boeing 737-500, which was lost contact when climbed from altitude 11,000 feet to 13,000 feet.
While another Navy ship KRI Rigel has spotted the signal of the airplane since early morning of Jan.10.
For this search and rescue operation, at least 38 ships have been deployed from Basarnas, the Military (TNI), Polri, the Transportation Ministry, the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister and related parties as well as divers from the Military (TNI) and Polri as well as from society group of diver.
The SAR efforts also use air surveillance method to find the location of the aircraft and possible survivor as well inland by combing coastal area at Thousand Islands.
‘’Weather condition and sea current reverse flow at the sea surface and at the seabed may sweep away pieces of aircraft and body parts to coastal area,’’Air Vice Marshal Suparmono, director of communication system of Basarnas said on Jan.10.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. Black boxes of the aircraft have yet found and KNKT is the party which will investigate the accident further.
