Missing plane in Indonesia: Debris, cables found in waters off Laki Island, Pulau Seribu

A screenshot of the alleged debris of the missing plane (Antara)

JAKARTA: Cables and debris suspected of belonging to a missing Sriwijaya Air plane have been found in the waters off Laki Island, Pulau Seribu District on Saturday afternoon, Indonesian news agency Antara reported.

Several police officers, assisted by local residents, rushed to the waters’ area and searched for the missing aircraft, which lost contact while flying over Laki Island.

The Ministry of Transportation has confirmed that airport authorities lost contact with Sriwijaya Air flight number SJ 182, serving the Jakarta-Pontianak route, at approximately 2:40 p.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB).

“There has been contact lost with a Sriwijaya aircraft on the Jakarta – Pontianak route with the call sign of SJ 182. The last contact was at 14:40 WIB,” the Ministry’s Director General of Air Transportation, Novie Riyanto, told Antara.

The plane’s route before it was reported missing (Picture provided by Eddy Suprpato)

The Boeing 737-500 plane, with registration number PK CLC, had its last contact at a position 11 nautical miles north of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, a suburb of Jakarta, after passing an altitude of 11,000 feet and while increasing its altitude to 13,000 feet.

According to the news agency, the Management of Sriwijaya Air continues investigating the whereabouts of flight SJ-182, which lost contact on Saturday, not long after taking off from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Based on information from Basarnas, the plane lost contact in the area of Laki Island and Lancang Island, Seribu Islands District, Jakarta, which is not far from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Antara said.