Passenger plane vanishes over sea after 'falling 10,000ft minutes after takeoff'

A passenger plane has vanished while flying over the sea after reportedly falling 10,000ft minutes after taking off.

Indonesia’s transport ministry says a search and rescue investigation is under way after contact was lost with Sriwijaya Air flight SJY 182 from Jakarta to Pontianak.

Sriwijaya Air said it is still gathering more detailed information regarding the flight before it can make any statement.

The plane lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute, according to flight tracker website FlightRadar24.

It said the crash happened just four minutes after takeoff.

The plane was a Boeing B737-500 which had about 50 passengers on board, local media reports.

The plane is though to have lost contact around Lancang Island, Thousand Islands.

Adita Irawati, the Indonesian Transport Ministry spokesperson, told This Week in Asia : ‘At this point, we are investigating and coordinating the matter with Basarnas (the search and rescue agency) and KNKT (the transport safety body). We will release more information as soon as there are developments.’

More to follow

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