"We can see the anomalies or contrast of color on the sea surface. I assumed that it was an oil spill," Assistant Operation of the Air Force Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Henri Alfiandi said at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, Jakarta after conducting an air surveillance on Sunday.
Indonesian Air Force personnel conducted air surveillance around the waters off Laki Island aboard two helicopters EC-725 Caracal from Air Squadron 8 Atang Sendjaja Air Force Base in Bogor, West Java.
"We use the ladder track system in a range of nine miles or some 15 kilometers, and search coverage of 3 miles from the height of 1,000 feet. We observe the locations four times," Alfiandi said.
The team has also found a lot of debris. "I am not sure the item was sea garbage but clearly it is garbage in various types. We suspect that (the item) was part of the airplane."
Alfiandi has reported the findings to the Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Yudo Margono and the search operation post in KRI Parang-647 ship.
A Sriwijaya Air plane with flight number SJ 182 believed to have crashed on Saturday (Jan 9) in the waters off Laki Island, Seribu Islands District, not long after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The Boeing 737-500 airplane had its last contact with the air traffic controller when it was at 10,000 feet altitude at 2:40 p.m. local time, at 11 nautical miles north of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and crashed in the waters of Seribu Islands between Lancang Island and Laki Island.
The airplane took off from the airport at 02.36 p.m, delayed from its schedule at 01.35 pm due to bad weather.
The plane, manufactured in 1994, carried 62 passengers, including 12 crew. Among the passengers were three infants and seven children.
The search mission has involved Basarnas, the National Committee on Transportation Safety (KNKT), the police, military and the Jakarta administration.
The Indonesian Navy has deployed 10 ships to the location,including the Teluk Gilimanuk-531 warship carrying SAR personnel and journalists, and Rigel-933 warship from the Navy's Hydrographic and Oceanographic Center (Pushidrosal).
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Translator: Syaiful Hakim, Sri Haryati
Editor: Suharto
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