No reports of Singaporeans aboard crashed Lion Air flight: MFA

There have been no reports of any Singaporeans having been aboard Lion Air flight JT610, which crashed in Indonesia on Monday (29 October), said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore (MFA).

“We are monitoring the situation closely. Singapore has offered to assist the Indonesian government in any way if Indonesia requires it,” said an MFA spokesperson.

The ministry also called for Singaporeans who require consular assistance to contact the Embassy of Singapore in Jakarta at +62 811 863 348 or the MFA Duty Office at +65 6379 8800/8855.

189 aboard flight

The Sumatra-bound Lion Air flight crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta with 189 people aboard. Among them were three children, 23 Indonesian officials, one Italian passenger and an Indian pilot.

The Indonesian aircraft, an almost new Boeing 737 MAX 8, took off from Jakarta at around 6.20am on Monday and was due to have landed in Pangkal Pinang, capital of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region, at 7.20am.

The aircraft had been in operation since August, with its pilot and co-pilot together having accumulated 11,000 hours of flying time, said Lion Air.

Rescue officials said later on Monday that some human remains had been recovered from the crash site, about 15km off the coast.

First sign of trouble at 2,000ft

According to data on flight tracker website FlightRadar24, the first sign of trouble was at around two minutes into the flight, when the plane reached 2,000ft (610m).

The aircraft later descended more than 500ft and veered to the left before climbing again to 5,000ft, where it stayed for the rest of the short-lived flight. It began gaining speed in its final moments and reached 345 knots (397mph) before data was lost when it was at 3,65ft.

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Plane crashes off Indonesia with 189 on board; some remains recovered