Divers on Monday stepped up retrieval efforts for the black boxes of the Sriwijaya Air passenger plane that crashed into the sea off Jakarta, Indonesia.
Details: The Boeing 737-500 was carrying 62 passengers and crew en route to Pontianak on the island of Borneo when air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane soon after takeoff on Saturday.
Video released by the Indonesian Navy shows divers searching for the black boxes of Sriwijaya Air flight jet that crashed into the sea two days ago with 62 people on board after take-off from Jakarta’s main airport https://t.co/zu1WlhCCdH pic.twitter.com/GCKFSHbQCh
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 11, 2021
- Search and rescue teams have recovered body parts and debris from the site. There are no signs of survivors.
- Officials said all of those on board were from Indonesia and 10 children were on the flight, AFP reports.
What's new: Authorities said they've detected signals from the boxes and marked the location as between Lancang and Laki islands in the Thousand Island chain, north of Jakarta's coast, per AP.
Background: The last contact between air traffic controllers and the plane, Sriwijaya Air Flight 182, was around 2:40 p.m. local time, Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawait said, AP notes.
What they're saying: Boeing said in a statement, "We are in contact with our airline customer and stand ready to support them during this difficult time." Boeing added its "thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families."
The big picture: The Boeing 737-500 is an older model than the Boeing 737 MAX, which faced a global fleet-wide grounding for nearly two years following two fatal crashes. The 737-500 entered service in 1990 and is in the second of four generations of 737, dubbed 737 Classic.
- In October 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 fell into the Java Sea after taking off from Jakarta with 189 people on board after the 737 MAX's antistall system malfunctioned.
- Another Boeing 737 MAX crashed in Ethiopia in March 2019 after the antistall system was activated.
Flashback: Boeing agreed to pay more than $2.5 billion to settle criminal charges related to a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in connection with the agency's investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX, the Justice Department announced this Thursday.
- The Department of Justice said Boeing misled the FAA and interrupted its ability to ensure the plane was safe.
Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
