JAKARTA 

The black box from an Indonesian passenger plane which went down with 62 people on board Saturday may be retrieved from underwater as early as tonight, officials said.

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Indonesian aircraft with 62 on board crashes into sea

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - JANUARY 10: Search and rescue (SAR) officers unloaded fragments of tires, plane fragments, and children's shorts which allegedly belonged to the victim Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 from KRI Kurau at Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) 2, Jakarta on Sunday, January 10, 2021. The fragments were obtained from search for the aircraft in the waters of the Thousand Islands. An Indonesian passenger aircraft with 62 people on board crashed into the sea after taking off from the capital Jakarta, authorities said Saturday. The plane carries 50 passengers on board, including 10 children, plus 12 crew members. ( Nicky Aulia Widadio - Anadolu Agency ) 

The success of the operations depends on retrieval before it gets too dark, Rasman MS, the operations director of the search and rescue agency Basarnas, told a press conference in the capital Jakarta on Sunday.

Black box signals from the Sriwijaya Air flight were detected earlier today, said Marshal Hadi Tjahjono, the country’s military chief, adding that retrieving the box would help determine the cause of the crash.

The Boeing 737-500 crash site was also found, along with human remains, belongings, and life vests in the Thousand Islands area between the isles of Lancang and Laki.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is reportedly closely monitoring the search and rescue operations and pressing officials to get results.

The domestic flight departed from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport bound for the city of Pontianak in West Borneo when it lost contact within minutes after taking off. It carried 50 passengers, including 10 children, and 12 crew members.