UPDATE - Indonesian aircraft with 62 on board crashes into sea

UPDATES WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS; REVISES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE

By Muhammad Latief

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - An Indonesian passenger aircraft with 62 people on board crashed into the sea after taking off from the capital Jakarta, authorities said Saturday.

Sriwijaya Air flight SJY 182 had 50 passengers on board, including 10 children, plus 12 crew members, said the country’s Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.

Debris believed to be from the missing plane has been found between the isles of Laki and Lancang in Jakarta’s Thousand Islands regency, said the authorities.

The flight from Jakarta to Pontianak, the capital of the province of West Kalimantan, lost contact at 2.40 p.m. local time (0740GMT), said Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawat.

Authorities are currently investigating and coordinating with the National Search and Rescue Agency and the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC).

According to FlightRadar24, a flight tracker website, it lost more than 3,048 meters (10,000 feet) in altitude in less than a minute.

*With contributions by Maria Elisa Hospita