Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karja Sumadi confirmed that a Sriwijaya Air passenger plane crashed Saturday, the Jakarta Globe newspaper reported.
“It crashed near Lucky Island,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.
The minister also said there were a total of 62 people aboard the Boeing 737-500 jetliner – 50 passengers, including 10 children, and 12 crew members.
Earlier, the Indonesian authorities reported that air traffic controllers lost contact with the passenger plane of Sriwijaya Air, which flew from the capital Jakarta to Pontianak on Kalimantan island.
It was later reported that wreckage was found in the Java Sea.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Transport said authorities had launched search and rescue operations.
