Sriwijaya Air crash site found, says Indonesian military

Flight SJ182 disappeared from radars shortly after takeoff from Jakarta with 62 people on board. Rescuers have pulled body parts and wreckage from the Java Sea.

Indonesian authorities on Sunday said they have identified the crash site of flight SJ182. The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 lost contact shortly after takeoff on Saturday from Jakarta with 62 people on board.

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A military vessel found the signal from (Sriwijaya Air) SJ182 and a diver team recovered parts of the plane from around 23 meters (75 feet) below the water's surface in the Java Sea.

"We are sure that is the point where the plane crashed," Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said in a statement.

Earlier, Indonesian rescuers said they have retrieved body parts, items of clothing, and scraps of metal from the Java Sea between Lancang Island and Laki Island, an archipelago around Thousand Islands north of Jakarta's coast.

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Hopefully, until this afternoon the current conditions and the view under the sea are still good so that we can continue the search," Tjahjanto added.

What happened to flight SJ182:

• The plane took off from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport at about 2:36 p.m. (07:36 UTC) Saturday.
• The flight was bound for the city of Pontianak, northwest of Jakarta.
• There were 62 people on board, including 10 children.
• The flight last made contact around 2:40 p.m.
• The plane lost more than 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) of altitude in less than a minute, according to FlightRadar24.
• A sea and air search effort was launched, including 11 navy ships, two helicopters and 300 personnel.

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A 'tragedy'

"I represent the government and all Indonesians in expressing my deep condolences for this tragedy," President Joko Widodo said.

"We are doing our best to save the victims. We pray together so that the victims can be found," he said.

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