Search and Rescue Agency Fears No Survivor in Lion Air Crash

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The operations director of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), Bambang Suryo Aji, said the evacuation team had discovered several pieces of human remains together with structural debris from Lion Air JT 610 that crashed into the waters of Teluk Karawang, West Java.

“We found several human remains from the victims such as feet, hands, and intestines that were already taken into six body bags. They are on their way to the Indonesian National Police hospital (RS Polri),” said Bambang in a press conference at the Basarnas headquarters today. 

Bambang stated there was a high probability of finding no survivor based on the human remains, which suggested there were many victims stuck inside what was left of the airplane's fuselage. 

Read: Lion Air Missing, Soekarno-Hatta Airport Provides Crisis Center 

“Until this moment, the part of the airplane’s remains that we discovered was the tail section. The SAR team is pushing for an all-round 24-hour search,” said Bambang. 

Furthermore, Basarnas deputy of operations Nugroho Budi Wiryanto said if there were survivors in the future, they would be taken to the Basarnas post located at JITC II in Tanjung Priok before being transported the Kramat Jati Police Hospital. 

Lion Air flight JT 610 plying the Jakarta-Pangkal Pinang route lost contact with the airport tower on Monday morning of October 29. The plane was missing only 13 minutes after taking off from Soekarno-Hatta Airport over the waters of Tanjung Karawang, West Java. 

AQIB SOFWANDI