Flight SJ182 disappeared from radars shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 737-500 plane lost more than 3,000 meters of altitude in less than a minute, reported flight tracker website FlightRadar24.
A Sriwijaya Air plane is suspected to have crashed after the takeoff from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Saturday, according to Indonesian authorities.
Indonesia has launched a sea and air search effort. The rescue operation, which includes 11 navy ships, is set to continue throughout the night.
Tracking showed the path of flight SJ182 ending off the coast just north of Jakarta after the plane abruptly lost altitude.
"We deployed our team, boats and sea riders to the location suspected to be where it went down after losing contact," the official said.
The Regent of the Thousand Islands chain said he had information that "something fell and exploded on Laki island," in comments to Indonesian newspaper Merdeka.
Previously, the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Branch Communications Manager Haerul Anwar said that the Sriwijaya Air plane had lost contact around Lancang Island — part of the Thousand Islands chain.
Unconfirmed images of small debris fished from the water were broadcast by local media.
"We found some cables, a piece of jeans, and pieces of metal on the water," CNN Indonesia quoted security official Zulkifli as saying.
A patrol boat from the Ministry of Transportation found possible human body parts and oil near to the reported site of a crash, reported local news outlet Kompas.
Sriwijaya Air, Boeing await more information
Sriwijaya Air, an Indonesian airline, said in a statement it is still gathering more detailed information regarding the flight before it can make a fuller statement.
A Boeing spokeswoman said, "We are aware of media reports from Jakarta, and are closely monitoring the situation. We are working to gather more information."
Boeing in trouble
Boeing has been plagued with problems ever since manufacturing the infamous 737 MAX modelthat was involved in two deadly crashes in less than a year.
In October 2018, a total of 189 people were killed when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX jet slammed into the Java Sea about 12 minutes after take-off from Jakarta on a routine one-hour flight.
In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashedafter taking off from Addis Ababa. All 157 people on board died.
The model was grounded and the company was Boeing was fined $2.5 billion (€2.04 billion) over claims it defrauded regulators overseeing the 737 MAX model.
The plane that lost contact on Saturday is a much older model. The nearly 27-year-old aircraft did not use the new, questionable autopilot systems built into the current-generation 737 MAX planes.This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more details become available.
