Jetliner disappears off radar in Indonesia, raising fears of another transportation tragedy

A commercial jetliner with 62 aboard vanished from radar about 45 minutes after takeoff in Indonesia on Saturday, raising fears the country had suffered another transportation tragedy.

Search and rescue efforts were launched after Sriwijaya Air SJ182, Boeing 737-500 airliner, departed from Jakarta at approximately 1:56 p.m. local time, and dropped from radar at 2:40 p.m., Transportation Ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati.

The flight was delayed for an hour before it took off on a domestic trip, and was about half way through to its destination when it vanished, officials said.

The search was focused on the waters between Lancang and Laki islands, officials said.

Indonesia has suffered a rash air and boat accidents in recent history, plagued by aging infrastructure, maintenance woes and what Western officials consider lax safety standards.

In October 2018, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet operated by Lion Air crashed into the sea after taking off from Jakarta, killing all 189  aboard. In June 2018, 190 people drowned after a tourist ferry sunk in a lake. In December 2014, an AirAsia flight from the Indonesian city of Surabaya to Singapore plunged from the air, killing 162 people.