Indonesia Locates Missing Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737's Flight Recorder

Indonesian authorities on Sunday revealed they have spotted the black box recorders from the Sriwijaya Air plane that crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday, reported DW.

RELATED: SRIWIJAYA AIR PLANE DISAPPEARS FROM RADARS SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM INDONESIA

Much needed answers

"Hopefully, we can retrieve them soon," said military chief Hadi Tjahjanto. The boxes would provide much-needed information on what happened to flight SJ182 that yesterday disappeared from radars minutes after takeoff from Jakarta.

The boxes were discovered after a military vessel "found the signal from (Sriwijaya Air) SJ182" said the transport ministry on Sunday according to RTE.

Flight tracker website FlightRadar24 had reported that the Boeing 737-500 lost more than 10,000 feet (~3 km) of altitude in less than a minute about four minutes after take off. The flight had 62 people on board, including 7 children as well as 12 crew members.

Body parts found

Body parts, clothing, and metal scraps have been recovered from the sea between Lancang Island and Laki Island, an archipelago around Thousand Islands north of Jakarta's coast.

"Several body parts have been found and they've been taken to the police hospital for identification," Jakarta police spokesman Yusri Yunus told AFP.

"We don't know yet whether they're from one person. Belongings that we think are from the passengers were also found."

Meanwhile, according to DW, Indonesian President Joko Widodo expressed his condolences to the families of the passengers.

"We are doing our best to save the victims. We pray together so that the victims can be found," he said.

The search continues for any possible survivors and for answers to this tragedy. "Hopefully, until this afternoon the current conditions and the view under the sea are still good so that we can continue the search," Tjahjanto said, according to DW.

Boeing, whose planes have been involved in several high-profile crashes, also released a statement in support of the passengers' families. "Our thoughts are with the crew, passengers, and their families. We are in contact with our airline customer and stand ready to support them during this difficult time," said the firm's statement.