Crashed plane's flight data recorder retrieved

Navy divers found the black box at 4 pm (local time) and brought it to the surface. The finding is key to shedding light on the tragedy. Now it is with Indonesia’s National Committee for Safety Transportation for analysis. So far only one body has been identified, that of flight attendant Okky Bisma.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Indonesian Navy divers found the black box amid the pieces of the Boeing 737 that crashed near Seribu Island last Saturday

This will be crucial to shed light on the causes of Indonesia’s latest plane crash. Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 left Jakarta for Pontianak, but vanished from radar shortly after take-off, crashing into the open sea.

At about 4 pm (local time) today, divers retrieved the black box from the site between Laki and Lancang islands, in the Thousands Islands, just north of the capital.

The Sea Ride ship of the Navy’s Special Force Kopaska brought the device to Jakarta and delivered it to the Indonesian National Committee for Safety Transportation (KNKT), where it will be examined to determine the cause of the accident.

Hours earlier, Air Force Commander Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto confirmed that the flight data recorder was successfully pinpointed at 23 metres under the sea level, and that it would be brought to the surface safely within hours.

The plane carried 50 passengers, 43 adults and 7 children, plus a crew of 12. So far only one victim has been identified, flight attendant Okky Bisma, thanks to his fingerprints.

• indonesia
• seribu island
• thousand islands
• jakarta
• pontianak
• plane sriwijaya
• navy
• divers
• black box
• recovery
• hadi tjahjanto