JAKARTA-(MaraviPost)-An Indonesian passenger plane with over 50 passengers on board has gone missing shortly after take-off from Jakarta’s international airport.
The spokesperson from the Indonesian Ministry of Communications Adita Irawati confirmed the news in a statement.
Report by The Economic Times indicates that Sriwijaya Air flight took off from Jakarta at about 1:56pm (local time) and lost contact with the control tower at 2:40pm (local time).
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, the missing 27-year-old Boeing 737-500 lost more than 3,000m (10,000ft) in altitude in less than a minute.
Other reports revealed that pictures of what seemed to be aircraft debris were discovered near where the plane disappeared by local residents and the transport ministry has said search and rescue efforts were under way.
Boeing has been plagued with problems ever since manufacturing the infamous 737 MAX model that was involved in two deadly crashes in less than a year.
In October 2018, a total of 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.
In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed after taking off from Addis Ababa. All 157 people on board died.
The model was grounded and the company was Boeing was fined $2.5 billion (€2.04 billion) over claims it defrauded regulators overseeing the 737 MAX model.
