Indonesia ends search operation for bodies, debris of crashed plane

Search underway in Indonesia (Photo: AP)

Jakarta (VNA) - The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) of Indonesia on January 21 terminated the search operation for the bodies of passengers and debris of the crashed Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ-182 after a period of 13 days, according to Antara news agency.

The decision was made based on tactical considerations, retrieved bodies, effectiveness, and after a meeting with the bereaved families and a joint meeting with Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Basarnas chief, Vice Marshal Bagus Puruhito informed.

Although the search operation has been declared closed, Basarnas will continue to monitor any developments through a follow-up operation, he said.

More than 4,300 personnel, 63 vessels, and 15 airplanes were used in the joint operation.

In total, the joint team collected 324 bags of human remains, 68 bags of small debris, and 55 bags of large debris from the crash site.

The team also retrieved the flight data recorder (FDR) on the fourth day of the search operation and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) on the seventh day of the search operation.

The Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 had lost contact on January 9, 2021, shortly after take-off and crashed between Lancang Island and Laki Island, Seribu Islands, DKI Jakarta. The plane had taken off from Jakarta and was headed to Pontianak.

All 50 passengers and 12 crew members on board died in the accident, the worst aviation accident since the crash into the sea of a Boeing 737 MAX of Lion Air that killed 189 people in 2018./.