Missing Indonesia Plane Boeing 737 Suspected To Have Crashed With 62 Passengers, Crew On Board

An Indonesian budget airline jet suspected to have crashed into the sea just minutes after take-off from Jakarta had 62 passengers and crew on board, including 10 children, the transport minister said Saturday.

READ ALSO: Indonesia Plane Missing Shortly After Take-Off

“The total number of passengers was 50 along with 12 crew,” Budi Karya Sumadi told reporters, adding that the figure included seven children and three infants.

The Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 lost contact with air traffic control about four minutes after take-off on its way to Borneo island.

In October 2018, 189 people were killed when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX jet slammed into the Java Sea about 12 minutes after take-off from Jakarta on a routine one-hour flight.

That crash — and a subsequent fatal flight in Ethiopia — saw Boeing hit with $2.5 billion in fines over claims it defrauded regulators overseeing the 737 MAX model, which was grounded worldwide following the two deadly crashes.

AFP