Passengers’ belongings scattered among the debris and twisted metal recovered after Lion Air crash
- The accident, which killed 189 people, has resurrected concerns about Indonesia’s poor air safety record, which led to bans from EU and US airspace
- Transport ministry says it has found ‘minor’ faults in two other Boeing 737-MAX 8 jets
Chairs, wheels and other parts of a crashed Indonesian Lion Air jet were hauled from the depths on Friday, as authorities analysed black box data that may explain why the new plane plummeted into the Java Sea, killing 189 people.
Search teams have been scouring the seabed for the fuselage of the Boeing-737 MAX 8, which plunged into the waters off Indonesia’s northern coast shortly after take-off on Monday despite only having been in service a few months.
“Today we will start diving [again] at the spot where we think the plane crashed,” said Isswarto, commander of the Indonesian navy’s search-and-rescue division. “There is a lot of little debris, plane wheels, and chairs – all totally destroyed and in pieces.”
Divers were searching an area about 25-35 metres deep, but have been finding fewer body parts than earlier in the week.
“They’re scattered everywhere and some may have been washed away by the current,” Isswarto said.
Dozens of body bags containing remains have been recovered from the crash site so far. Television images showed divers tying ropes to twisted plane parts scattered along the sea floor.
On Thursday, authorities said they had recovered one of the plane’s black boxes, which airlines are required to install in jets, as well as parts of its landing gear.