Foreign Ministry yet to confirm presence of Thai citizens on crashed Lion Air flight

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Bangkok – Indonesian rescue agencies have started an operation to locate a Lion Air flight that tragically crashed into the sea, hoping to retrieve its black boxes and learn the cause of its failure.

Indonesian rescue agencies have dispatched divers to the Java Sea off of West Java, focusing on an area where oil stains were spotted and which is suspected to be where a Lion Air flight JT610 crashed. The waters are about 40 meters deep and rescuers are hoping to retrieve the plane’s black boxes to aid in investigations into the crash. The flight departed from Jakarta on October 29 and lost contact minutes after taking to the air. It was reported that technical repairs had been performed on the plane before its departure.

Air traffic control indicated the plane began to lose control during its ascent and its pilots had requested an emergency landing before losing communication. It has been concluded that all 189 passengers on board the flight lost their lives. Some pieces of the aircraft and luggage have been collected from the Java Sea along with some human remains.

Director of Thailand’s Department of Information and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bussadee Santipitak , said it has not yet been confirmed whether any Thai citizens were on the flight but indicated that inquiries can be made to the Thai embassy in Jakarta at +62 811 186253.