Wreckage of Lion Aircraft Found; Diver Dies in Search Operation

The plane carried 189 people on board and crashed in waters 30 meters deep in the Java Sea.

Rescuers conduct search operation in the waters of Ujung Karawang, West Java, Indonesia after a Lion Air plane crashed into the sea.

(Photo: AP)

The debris and fuselage of Indonesian Boeing 737 MAX 8, which went down moments after taking off from Jakarta on Monday, 29 October, have been spotted by the search team deployed for rescue operations.

Two engines and landing gear have been found and a "low ping signal" was detected by a sonar locator that could potentially be of the plane’s black box voice recorder.

The plane had been carrying 189 people on board and crashed in waters 30 metres deep in the Java Sea. All passengers have reportedly died in the crash.

After take-off, the plane disappeared from the radar 13 minutes into the flight. The pilot requested to return back to the airport minutes after, CNN reported. However, he did not cite any emergency in the plane. Officials have stated technical failure as the reason for the crash.

Since the accident, more than 60 body bags containing human remains have been sent to medical experts for identification.

A diver named Syachrul Anto has also died on Friday, 2 November, while as part of a rescue operation team searching for the plane’s debris. Colonel Isswarto, commander of the search operation, has cited decompression as the reason for his death.

According to a report by ABC, Anto was an experienced diver who was a part of several evacuation operations, including the Air Asia Flight QZ8501 crash in 2014.

Untill recently, Indonesian airlines remained barred from flying to Europe and US for years because of the safety concerns reported by passengers.