Bandung, W Java (ANTARA News) - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has fielded the Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) or robotic divers to search for the crashed Lion Air JT610 aircraft.

"We field the robotic divers to see the characteristics of underwater," a spokesman of the West Java provincial Basarnas office, Joshua Banjarnahor said through a short message text on Monday.

The aircraft debris and several victims` identities have been found around the Karawang waters based on photo data in the whatsapp group.

But Basarnas still search the location of the plane crash. To make it easier, Basarnas also coordinates with ships passing around the Karawang waters if they find information about the aircraft.

"We also coordinate with ships passing through Karawang waters. Now some ships have helped conduct a search," he said.

The Jakarta-Pangkal Pinang Lion Air JT 610 aircraft lost contact for three hours on October 29, 2018 at around 06:33 a.m. local time, according to Sindu Rahayu, head of the Public Relations division of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation on Monday.

Sindu said the pilot had requested to return to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) has dispatched some 30 personnel to the location where the Lion Air JT610 aircraft crashed off the Tanjung Karawang coast in West Java on Monday.

The ill-fated Lion Air plane, with 188 people on board, en route to Depati Amir Airport in Pangkalpinang, crashed into the waters of Tanjung Karawang just 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta`s Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 6:20 a.m. West Indonesia Standard Time and scheduled to arrive in Pangkal Pinang at 07.10 WIB.

"We will continue to increase the number of our personnel to be deployed at the crash site where the debris from the ill-fated aircraft was found," KNKT Chief Soerjanto informed the press at the Jakarta National Search and Rescue (Basarnas) Office on Monday.

Reporting by Asep Firmansyah
Editing by Bustanuddin, Eliswan

Reporter: antara
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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