Lion Air Boeing 737 plane crashes with 188 People On-board. A Lion Air Boeing 737 passenger plane with 188 people on board has crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. All 189 passengers presumed dead Lion Air Flight JT 610 crash

Read Update: All 189 passengers presumed dead Lion Air Flight JT 610 crash

Flight JT 610 was on a scheduled flight to Pangkal Pinang, the main town in the Bangka Belitung Islands. It lost contact with ground control a few minutes after take-off, and was last tracked crossing the sea – it is unclear if there are any survivors.

At a news conference, officials said the plane had been carrying 178 adults, one infant, and two babies, as well as two pilots and five cabin crew.

The plane was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, a brand new type of aircraft. Flight JT 610 took off from Jakarta at 06:20 local time on Monday morning (23:30 GMT on Sunday).

Drones, Sonar, underwater beacons are used to find Lion Air Plane

Piloting the aircraft was Captain Bhavye Suneja, assisted by co-pilot Harvino, who together had a combined total of 11,000 hours flying time, according to a statement by Lion Air.

They were assisted by flight attendants Mery Yulianda, Alviani Hidayatul Solikha, Damayanti Simarmata, Deny Maula, Citra Noivita Anggelia and Shintia Melina.

Three of the cabin crew memberswere in training, the statement said.

Serpihan pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di Perairan Karawang banyak ditemukan mengapung di permukaan laut. Kapal USV Fulmar menemukan serpihan berupa pelampung, HP dan lainnya. Basarnas dibantu Kementerian Perhubungan, TNI, Polri & relawan terus lakulan evakuasi. pic.twitter.com/A4wjeoE5tl

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018

It was due to arrive at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang an hour later but about 13 minutes into the flight, authorities lost contact with the plane.

The pilot had earlier asked to return to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport, the head of Pangkal Pinang’s search and rescue office, Danang Priandoko, told local news outlet Kompas.

“The plane crashed into the water about 30 to 40m deep,” Search and Rescue Agency spokesman Yusuf Latif told AFP news agency. “We’re still searching for the remains of the plane.”

Lion Air Group’s Chief Executive Edward Sirait earlier told Reuters: “We cannot give any comment at this moment. We are trying to collect all the information and data.”

Saat ini tim SAR Basarnas melakukan penyelaman dikoordinat 05 derajat 90' 361" S – 107 derajat 06' 618" E untuk mencari pesawat Lion Air JT 610 yang jatuh di perairan Karawang Jawa Barat. pic.twitter.com/XK0UiSKyfH

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018

The aircraft was reported to be a Boeing 737 MAX 8, a model only in commercial use since 2016. Flight tracking website Flightradar24 said the aircraft had been delivered to Lion Air in August.

Meant for short-haul travel, the single-aisle plane can fit a maximum of 210 passengers.

Aviation consultant Gerry Soejatman told the BBC the MAX 8 had been experiencing problems since it was introduced, including difficulties maintaining a level flight.

Debris was also seen near an offshore oil refinery operated by state-owned energy firm Pertamina, an official from the firm said.

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

Indonesian investigators are examining debris from Lion Air flight JT 610 which crashed into the sea off the capital, Jakarta, Monday morning with 189 people on board.

Jatuhnya pesawat Lion Air JT 610 di dekat fasilitas Anak usaha PT Pertamina (Persero), Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java (PHE ONWJ) di lepas pantai di utara Bekasi, Jawa Barat. Petugas PHE ONWJ melakukan evakuasi dan mengambil dokumentasi. pic.twitter.com/Xq0kQjAWe8

— Sutopo Purwo Nugroho (@Sutopo_PN) October 29, 2018