/Boeing plane crashes in Indonesia shortly after takeoff with 62 on board

Boeing plane crashes in Indonesia shortly after takeoff with 62 on board

The plane lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than one minute.

A passenger airplane crashed in the Java Sea in Indonesia on Saturday and search and rescue teams have said they found some of the debris.

“Sriwijaya Air flight #SJ182 lost more than 10.000 feet of altitude in less than one minute, about 4 minutes after departure from Jakarta,” Flightradar24 tweeted Saturday morning.

Sixty-two people were on board the Sriwijaya Air flight en route from Jakarta to Pontianak in Indonesia, according to the airline. Sriwijaya Air confirmed the aircraft was manned by six active crew members. It had 40 adult passengers, 7 child passengers and three babies, with six extra crew members on board as passengers.

Authorities confirmed all on board were Indonesian citizens.

The flight departed from Jakarta at 2:36 p.m. local time, according to FlightRadar24. It then climbed to a maximum altitude of 10,900 feet before it began a steep descent. The airline confirmed it lost contact with the plane at 2:40 p.m. local.

Authorities said at a presser that the aircraft was initially delayed for around half an hour due to heavy rain.

Search and rescue teams were on the ground searching during the night. The Navy deployed 11 ships to try and locate remains and the black boxes which will hold key clues to the cause of the crash.

Officials said they expected the plane to be around Thousand Islands, an island chain located north of Jakarta’s coasts.

Before the teams called off their search for the night due to visibility issues, they found some plane debris and were still working on determining the exact coordinates where the plane crashed, officials said.

Saturday’s deadly accident involved an older Boeing model — a 26-year-old Boeing 737-500.

“We are aware of media reports from Jakarta regarding Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182,” Boeing said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand ready to support them during this difficult time.”

Indonesia is in charge of the investigation into the accident. In accordance with ICAO Annex 13, since the U.S. is the State of Manufacturer of the airplane there is also a senior investigator that serves as the U.S. Accredited Representative.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is “in contact with Indonesia’s KNKT and are awaiting additional information to determine what specific support is necessary and if we will travel.”

ABC News’ Aicha El Hammar Castano and Daniel Manzo contributed to this report.

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