The National Search and Rescue Agency said the flight ended in waters off West Java that are 30 to 35 metres (98 to 115 feet) deep.The agency’s chief said divers were trying to locate the wreckage of the plane, which according to aviation website Flightradar24 was brand-new and delivered to Lion Air in August.
Indonesia’s Transport Ministry said the Lion Air flight crashed just 13 minutes after taking off from Jakarta.
Data from aircraft tracking website FlightAware showed it had reached an altitude of only 5,200 feet (1,580 meters).Lion Air is one of Indonesia’s youngest and biggest airlines, flying to dozens of domestic and international destinations.
In 2013, one of its Boeing 737-800 jets missed the runway while landing on the resort island of Bali, crashing into the sea without causing any fatalities among the 108 people on board.
Monday’s crash is the worst airline disaster in Indonesia since an AirAsia flight from Surabaya to Singapore plunged into the sea in December 2014, killing all 162 on board.
Indonesian airlines were barred in 2007 were flying to Europe because of safety concerns, though several were allowed to resume services in the following decade.
The ban was completely lifted in June this year.
The US lifted a decade-long ban in 2016.
