Crashed Sriwijaya Air plane had 65 people aboard: Indonesian transport minister

Indonesia's Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Saturday said that there were 65 people aboard the crashed Sriwijaya Air plane.

The minister confirmed that the Boeing 737-500, domestic flight SJY182, was carrying 53 passengers and 12 crew members in total when it took off from Jakarta, Sputnik reported citing Detik news outlet.

Sumadi also confirmed that the crash site was near the island of Laki, part of the island chain dotting the north of Java.

Elsewhere, the Indonesian Red Cross Society said it had readied staff from all posts in Jakarta to help in search and rescue operations.

Jakarta airport controllers lost contact with the plane at 14:40 local time (07:40 GMT) minutes after it had taken off. According to data from the Flightradar24 air service, the plane lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than 60 seconds and four minutes after the departure from Jakarta.

( With inputs from ANI )