Rescuers searching for the wreckage of an Indonesian passenger jet that crashed into the ocean say they have located the plane’s black box flight recorder and obtained communications data. Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737 left Jakarta with 62 people on board, but vanished from the radar on its way to Borneo island on Saturday. Search teams have found aircraft parts and human remains and believe they know where the black boxes are located.
The head of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said late on Sunday evening that the two black boxes from Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 are believed have been detected within 150 to 200 meters (492 to 656 feet) of the crash site — and that search and rescue operations are continuing around the clock. Authorities said Monday that their efforts to recover bodies, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) were hampered by debris in the water. “We have two spots that highly suspected as a location of two black boxes. But unfortunately there is a lot of debris around that spots,” Indonesia Navy Commander Admiral Yudo Margono said Monday. One official stressed the urgency of the search mission calling it a “24-hour” operation.
Margono said a diving team is working to clear out debris, and hope to recover the devices “soonAccording to news wire AFP, some 2,600 personnel are currently involved in the search operation along with more than 50 ships and 13 aircraft. Divers have been recovering body parts, wreckage and passengers’ clothing from waters about 23 metres (75ft) deep.
