Lion Air JT610 Search Operation to be extended for 3 Days

Head of Basarnas M. Syaugi on a press conference about the (searching progress) of Lion Air JT610, at JITC 2 TanjungPriok, Jakarta, Sunday (4/11). (Photo Public Relation of the National Search and Rescue Agency)

The National Search and Rescue Agency (BNPP), or was previously called Basarnas, decided to extend the search operations in locating Lion Air JT610 for 3 more days.

“After we make evaluation and coordination, and also get input from the location, search and rescue operations will be extended for 3 days,” said Head of Basarnas M. Syaugi at a Press Conference, at the JICT 2 Integrated Post, Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, on Sunday (4/11).

With this more days addition and the synergy and solidarity of all joint members involved in this search and rescue operations, such as Basarnas; Indonesian National Defense Forces (TNI); Indonesian National Police (Polri); Ministry of Transportation; Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT); National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT); Ministry of Maritime Affairs (KKP); Indonesian Customs; Pertamina (state owned energy company); and other officials involved in this search and rescue, Head of Basarnas hopes to succesfully finish the operations as soon as possible.

Until Sunday (4/11), the joint search and rescue team has evacuated 105 bodies. Other than human bodies, the search and rescue team, especially divers, have located one uncompleted engine. As for landing gear, one wheel has been evacuated to the integrated post, meanwhile two other wheels have been located but was not intact.

Head of Basarnas M. Syaugi admitted that so far the team has not recovered the plane’s fuselage.

“We have retrieved and evacuated partial parts of the plane, lots of them are at the bottom surface. This is based on the imaging data from the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that have swept the area of 250 square meters,” Syaugi says.

Meanwhile, as for the identified signal on radar, Head of Basarnas explained that the location has been traced by divers but have not been physically recovered.

“It was located 50 meter northwest from the search center. The bottom surface is muddy, we have tried to (stab) the surface with a one meter metal, but it could not reached the bottom surface,” Syaugi says.

On Monday (5/11), according to Head of Basarnas, there will be a meeting with the victims’ families (gathered) by Lion Air to have a dialogue and explain relating the search and rescue operations. Also invited on the occasion are Head of Basarnas, Indonesian Military Commander, and Minister of Transportation.

As we all are aware, Lion Air PK-LQP with flight number JT-610 bound for Pangkal Pinang crashed 13 minutes after took off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, on Monday (29/10). The plane carried 189 passengers and crashed at the Java Sea near Karawang, West Java. (Basarnas Public Relations/es)

Translated by: Harli Yudha Pratama
Edited by: Essy P. Iradini