Jakarta: An Indonesian Lion Air Boeing passenger plane carrying 189 people and flown by Indian captain Bhavye Suneja crashed into the Java Sea on Monday shortly after taking off from here, with authorities saying they have found no survivor.
The Boeing 737, JT 610, disappeared from the radar 13 minutes after take off from Jakarta airport at 6.20 a.m. while heading for Pangkal Pinang on the Indonesian island Bangka. Flight data showed it made a sudden, sharp dive into the sea, the Jakarta Post reported.
No survivors were found, said a spokesman of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency.
The aircraft, manufactured this year, was commanded by Captain Suneja, with co-pilot Harvino, according to a spokesman of the airline. Authorities said before the crash, the pilot had made a request to return to base.
The Guardian reported that Suneja was from New Delhi and was living in Jakarta with his wife.
Of the 189 on board, two were pilots and six were flight attendants, the National Transportation Safety Commission said in a statement cited by the Jakarta Post. Twenty Indonesian Finance Department officials were also on the flight.
A search and rescue effort was launched for the plane that crashed into the waters of Karawang, about 30-35 metres deep.
