WEB DESK

The search operation is on for the remains of the Indonesia privately owned budget carrier Lion Airplane that crashed off Java Island on Monday morning.

The plane was carrying 189 passengers and crew.

Indonesia’s disaster agency said the plane crashed into the sea 13 minutes after takeoff from Jakarta and went down in waters about 30 to 35 meters deep. It was on its way to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka.

As Indonesian rescuers began retrieving body parts, the operational director of Indonesia’s search and rescue agency Bambang Suryo Aji told reporters nobody is believed to have survived.

Indian pilot Bhavye Suneja captained the ill-fated Indonesian plane with co-pilot Harvino.

The Indian embassy in Jakarta has confirmed the death of Indian pilot Bhavye Suneja in the plane crash. The accident is the first reported that involves a Boeing 737 MAX, an d, widely-sold aircraft that is more fuel-efficient.