The accident of a Boeing 737-500 of Sriwijaya Air, a low-cost airline of Indonesia, and loss of all persons on board is a major tragedy for the country. The airline is the third-largest in Indonesia and carries thousands of passengers from Jakarta to various destinations within the country apart from neighboring countries. There were 62 people on board, and the plane crashed soon after takeoff from Jakarta. The breakup was 50 passengers that included 7 children apart from 12 crew members. Ground control lost contact with Flight 182 from Jakarta to Pontianak at 2:40 p.m.

Western Indonesian Time on Saturday. Indonesia's national search and rescue agency said that the Boeing 737-500 of Sriwijaya Air probably crashed in the islands located northwest of Jakarta. Authorities have launched a search operation.

Some local fishermen heard an explosion and experienced local disturbances. One of them added that it was dark and raining at the time. None of them saw the plane crashing into the water, but they did smell fuel and saw debris. They immediately returned to shore and informed the police. Jakarta Metropolitan Police have arranged to keep recovered bodies in a hospital to help families identify them.

Search is on for the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 of Indonesia

Teams are trying to locate the ill-fated plane's wreckage that crashed, killing all 62 persons onboard the aircraft.

Preliminary investigation reveals the presence of an item belonging to a Boeing 737. It is near the probable location of the crash. An official of the Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard told a section of the media that search teams are in the area.

The area is experiencing heavy rainfall accompanied by winds and the teams faced difficulties in their search effort.

It seems debris have been found that could be related to the plane. Concerned agencies would investigate possible links. Sriwijaya Airlines CEO confirmed the 26-year old Boeing 737-500 was in good condition before takeoff. A Boeing spokesperson said they were monitoring the situation.

Their words were - "We are working to gather more information."

The airline industry of Indonesia has poor safety standards

Indonesia's airline industry is growing, but it has to improve its safety standards. There have been earlier instances of accidents and loss of lives. In October 2018, a Lion Air flight took off from Jakarta and crashed into the Java Sea in Indonesia, killing all 189 people. Earlier, in 2014, all 162 people on board the Indonesian AirAsia Flight 8501 died when the aircraft crashed into the Java Sea. Other incidents did not involve fatalities, and the authorities have to pay attention to anything that could harm the aircraft in the air or on the ground. This is because the lives of innocents are at stake.

Indonesia relies heavily on air transport to commute between islands across the archipelago. Therefore, it has to maintain a high level of safety.

Sriwijaya Air of Indonesia did not send a distress signal

According to The BBC, the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 disappeared from radars soon after it took off for Pontianak in West Kalimantan province. All those on board were Indonesians, and none survived. The capacity of the plane is 130, and there were only 50 passengers as well as 12 crew members. The flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com says the Boeing dropped more than 10,000ft in less than a minute. There was no distress signal from the aircraft. It took off after a delay of about half an hour because of heavy rainfall.

Witnesses mentioned hearing the sound of at least one explosion. Some locals said they discovered items that could be from the plane. The airline founded in 2003 is a low-cost airline used by people to Travel to destinations in Indonesia and other South-East Asian countries. Incidentally, sea-level rise is a threat for Indonesia, and it has plans to relocate its capital.
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