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Navy divers have found one of the “black boxes” from an Indonesian airliner that crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday with 62 people on board.
The flight data recorder was recovered from the ocean floor, with at least 160 divers deployed in the search.
It will now be turned over to the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), which is overseeing the investigation.
The other “black box,” the cockpit voice recorder, is likely to be found soon because it has been broadcasting signals in the same area, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said.
An Indonesian Navy diver with some plane debris
The boxes were believed to be buried under sharp objects that had to be removed first, about 23 meters (75 feet) below the sea surface, said Admiral Yudo Margono of the Indonesian navy.
A remotely operated vehicle was dispatched to the location between the Lancang and Laki islands, just north of the capital Jakarta.
They were using high-tech “ping locator” equipment to narrow their search for the boxes.
More than 3,600 rescue personnel, 13 helicopters, 54 large ships and 20 small boats have also joined the search for debris.
A member of the Indonesian navy inspects a piece of airplane debris
The Sriwijaya Air plane, which was heading to the island of Borneo, fell about four minutes after taking off from Jakarta in heavy rain.
According to the Flightradar24 tracking service, the 26-year-old plane lost more than 10,000 feet (3,000 m) altitude in less than a minute.
The plane, which had been on the ground between March and December due to coronavirus pandemic, passed an airworthiness inspection on December 14, the Indonesian Ministry of Transport said Tuesday.
It resumed commercial flights eight days later.
Initial NTSC findings suggest that a jet engine was running when the aircraft hit the water, based on damage to a fan blade.
Following the condition of the wreckage, NTSC President Soerjanto Tjahjono ruled out a possible mid-air rupture.
He said the jet was intact until it hit the water, resulting in a more concentrated scattering of debris. An airborne event would have caused the debris to spread more widely.
A relative of a passenger takes a swab test to help identify him
The first victim to be named is 29-year-old flight attendant Okky Bisma, who was identified using his fingerprints, police said.
“My super kind husband … Heaven is your place … Until we meet again, darling,” his wife wrote on Instagram.
So far, investigators have sent 74 body bags containing human remains to police identification experts.
More human remains were found Tuesday, as well as personal effects such as wallets with identification cards.
Family members have been providing samples for DNA testing and officials say results are expected within four to eight days.
