Plane crash in Indonesia: The world's luckiest man misses the Lion Air flight convicted because of heavy traffic

An Indonesian counts his blessings after not having arrived at the time to board the boat. Lion Air condemned with 189 passengers and crew members who crashed into the Java Sea on Monday morning. Sony Setiawan, an official at the Indonesian Ministry of Finance, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he had missed the flight because of Jakarta's notorious traffic jams, which saved his life inadvertently .

While officials fear the worst of those who have embarked, Setiawan is still figuring out how lucky he was. He had to board the unfortunate Boeing-737 MAX, but was delayed on his way to Soekarno-Hatta airport.

"I usually take (flight) JT610 – my friends and I always take this plane," Setiawan told AFP. "I do not know why the traffic on the toll road was so bad.I usually arrive at 3am in Jakarta, but this morning I arrived at the airport at 6:20 am and I am not sure why. I missed the flight. "

Lion Air announced that the all-new aircraft was performing 181 flights, including a child, two babies and eight crew members, bound for Pangkal Pinang, off an island off Sumatra.

Deputy Chief of the National Agency for Search and Rescue, Nugroho Budi Wiryanto, said that about 300 people, including soldiers, policemen and local fishermen, would be involved in the searches. A tweet from the agency showed six body bags containing the remains that had been reported at the airport.

When asked if there was any hope of survivors, Wiryanto replied, "We are waiting for the miracle of God."

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani also met with the chief, seeking information on 20 Finance Ministry staff members who had taken the plane after attending a ministry event in Jakarta. .

Although grateful to be alive, Setiawan is heartbroken by his friends who were in the plane.

"The first time I heard, I cried," he said. "I know my friends were in this flight."

Setiawan ended up taking a different flight to Pangkal Pinang and only discovered the plane crash when it landed safely. He then called his family who was filled with relief and emotion.

"My family was in shock and my mother cried, but I told them I was safe, so I just have to be grateful," he said.

The accident is a blow to the country's aviation safety after lifting the bans of its airlines by the European Union. The banned US airlines in 2007 were traveling to Europe for security reasons, although many were allowed to resume the next decade. The ban was completely lifted in June of this year. The United States lifted the decadelong ban in 2016.