PUTRAJAYA: The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no Malaysian was on board Lion Air Flight JT-610 that crashed at the Karawang waters north of Pulau Jawa today.
It said the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta had contacted the local authorities to get details of passengers on the flight which took off about 6.20am and later reported to have crashed 15 minutes after taking off from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
“So far, no Malaysian is reported to be involved in the crash. The embassy will continue to keep tab with the local authorities for the latest development.
“Any Malaysian that needs consular help or the latest information about the incident can contact the embassy via email at mwjakarta@kln.gov.my/jkonsular@gmail.com or call +62215224947 and +6281380813036 (whatsapp),” said the ministry in a statement today.
The ministry said the Boeing 737-800 with 188 passengers on board including a child and two babies as well as seven crew members were en route to Pangkal Pinang from Jakarta when it dropped off radar. The Indonesian search and rescue (SAR) team was still at the crash scene for the SAR operation, it added.
Reuters reported that preliminary flight tracking data from Flightradar24 had shown the aircraft climbed to around 5,000 feet (1,524 metres) before losing, and then regaining, height, before finally falling towards the sea.
It was last recorded at 3,650 feet (1,113 metres) and its speed had risen to 345 knots, according to raw data captured by the tracking website, which could not immediately be confirmed.
Its last recorded position was about 15 km north of the Indonesian coastline, according to a Google Maps reference of the last coordinates reported by Flightradar24.
The accident is the first to be reported that involves the widely-sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer’s workhorse single-aisle jet. The first Boeing 737 MAX jets were introduced into service in 2017.
Lion Air’s Malaysian subsidiary, Malindo Air, received the very first global delivery.