World
Indonesia Jet Broke Up When It Hit Sea, Not While Still in Air
- Plane went down on Saturday just minutes after takeoff
- Tracker shows drop at rate of more than 40,000 feet a minute
Navy divers hold wreckage from Sriwijaya Air flight SJY182 at sea near Lancang island on Jan. 10.
Photographer: Adek Berry/AFP/Getty Images
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Indonesian investigators said the crashed Boeing Co. jet carrying 62 people operated by Sriwijaya Air broke apart upon impact with water, which could rule out a mid-air breakup.
National Transportation Safety Committee Chairman Soerjanto Tjahjono shared his conclusion by text message, without elaborating. A search-and-rescue team has located the crash site where the plane went down just minutes after takeoff on Saturday, with authorities saying they expect to retrieve the aircraft’s black boxes as soon as Sunday evening.