VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed a joint SAR team has located the point where Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 crashed and is focusing on finding the black box flight recorder.

"The finding is significant achievement since it might take days to do that in the past," he said in a virtual press conference here on Sunday

"I would like to express my pride to the team comprising the military, police, Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency) and KNKT (National Committee for Transportation Safety), while on the other hand I also offer my deep condolences over the demise of our brothers," he said.

Chief of the National Defense Forces (TNI) Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said the TNI will provide a crane to salvage the wreckage of the plane.

Meanwhile, KNKT Chief Soerjanto said the committee will take a ping finder to the crash site to catch the signal of the plane's black box flight recorder.

"We already know the position of the black box. KNKT has received a ping finder so we will soon search for it. Hopefully, it will not take long time. We are concentrating on searching for the black box. Hopefully, it will not take long time today to find the black box," he said.

It is believed Sriwijaya Air flight  SJ182 crashed in the waters between Laki Island and Lancang Island in Thousands Islands or 11 nautical miles from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang in suburban Jakarta.

The Transportation Ministry has confirmed that airport authorities lost contact with Sriwijaya Air flight number SJ182 serving the Jakarta-Pontianak route at approximately 2:40 p.m.on Saturday.

According to the ministry, the Boeing 737-500 jet, registration number PK CLC, had its last contact at a position 11 nautical miles north of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after passing an altitude of 11,000 feet and while rising to 13,000 feet.

The plane took off from Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 2.40 p.m. local time on Saturday, and was scheduled to land at Supadio Airport in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, at 3:50 p.m.

Based on the manifest, the plane carried 50 passengers and 12 crew members. (antaranews)