An Indonesian plane belonging to the low-cost airline Lion Air has crashed into the sea, the country's rescue authorities say. There were at least 188 people on board.
Wreckage believed to be from the aircraft has been found near the site where it disappeared.
The plane, flight JT 610, took off from the capital Jakarta en route to Pangkal Pinang on Bangka Island, and lost contact with ground stations 13 minutes later. The plane is believed to have crashed into the sea, where wreckage including aircraft seats - believed to belong to the stricken plane - have been found.
"We don't know yet if there are any survivors. We hope, we pray, but we can't confirm," said Muhammad Syaugi, head of the country's rescue agency, at a press conference.
Large search effort
At the airport in Pangkal Pinang, anxious relatives of people on board the aircraft gathered, waiting for news about their fate.
According to CNN, boats, helicopters and about 130 rescue workers are participating in the search for the plane and any survivors.
The head of the country's disaster agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, has tweeted images that he says show wreckage and personal belongings found in the water.
The plane was a Boeing 737 Max 8, according to flight tracking service Flightradar 24. If that information is correct, it is a very new plane. The plane is said to have been delivered in August.
Aviation expert Gerry Soejatman tells the BBC that the model has had some problems since it was introduced.
Large low-cost carrier
Pangkal Pinang is a mining town of around 200,000 people, located about halfway between Jakarta and Singapore. It does not attract large crowds of foreign tourists.
Lion Air is Southeast Asia's second-largest low-cost airline, and has grown rapidly. Until 2016, the airline was not allowed to fly in European airspace due to safety concerns. But this summer the ban was lifted, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.
Lion Air's CEO tells Reuters that the company is trying to find more information about what happened.
Source: TT
