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JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian authorities extended a three-day search for victims and a black box in the wreckage of a Lion Air plane that crashed last week. near Jakarta, killing 189 people on board.
An official from the Indonesian National Commission for Transport Safety (KNKT) is transporting debris from Lion Air flight JT610 that crashed at Tanjung Priok harbor in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 4, 2018. REUTERS / Beawiharta
"We decided to extend it for three days," Muhammad Syaugi, head of the Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), told reporters on Monday at a press conference.
The decision was based on an assessment and observations of the location of the accident, he told reporters, noting that many remains of victims had not been found.
On Sunday, 105 body bags, some with intact remains, were found and handed over to the police for forensic identification, but only 14 casualties were identified.
"I'm sure the total will increase," Syaugi said.
The agency is prioritizing the recovery of victims' remains and the Cockpit Conversation Recorder (CVR), the second of two Boeing Co.'s black boxes.PROHIBIT) 737 MAX who hit the sea early Monday, 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta.
The head of the Indonesian Committee for Transport Safety (KNKT) said that 69 hours of data recorded on 19 flights, including the one that crashed, had been successfully downloaded from a data logger. partially damaged flight found Thursday.
"We are now choosing the parameters we need. From there, we will analyze what happened to this flight, "Nurcahyo Utomo told the press. The data analysis and a recovered landing gear and engine will start on Monday and the information will be communicated to the police if necessary, Utomo said.
"Of course, it will not be over in a day or two."
Meanwhile, divers looking for the cockpit voice recorder were picked up by ping signals.
"Yesterday, the signal was loud enough. Today (a search), a dive was made – there was a signal, but it was weak, probably because of the mud, "Utomo said.
He noted that the flight data recorder had been found buried in half a meter of mud.
It is believed that the second black box is about 50 meters from the main search area, where the water depth is only 30 meters (98 feet), but ocean currents and mud on the seabed , more than a meter deep, complicated the research.
The pilot of JT610 had requested and obtained permission to return to Jakarta, but what went wrong remains a mystery.
Relatives of the victims are desperate to find out what happened, but the first crash of a Boeing 737 MAX is also under scrutiny by the global aviation industry. Preliminary findings of the investigation should be made public after 30 days.
Indonesia is one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, but its safety performance is uneven. Its transport safety group investigated 137 serious aeronautical incidents between 2012 and 2017.
"We still have a long way to go," said Air Transport Director Pramintohadi Sukarno at a press conference on Saturday, referring to the safety rules.
Written by Fergus Jensen; Edited by Kim Coghill
