A plane carrying 188 people crashed into the sea north of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, shortly after take-off on Monday morning.
Lion Air's flight JT-610 was heading to Pangkal Pinang, an island north of Indonesia's capital when it lost contact with air control about 6.33am local time (10.33am AEDT, 11.33pm BST) - just 13 minutes after take-off.
Before the tragic accident, the plane's pilots had asked to return to the airport, Sindu Rahayu, head of Cooperation and Public Relations at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said.
Traffic control allowed the return, but the aircraft vanished from the radar shortly after. Authorities are not sure why the plane crashed, as the weather was sunny, the aircraft was new and the pilots experienced.
Pictures and video shared online by the head of Indonesia's disaster relief agency show debris and oil floating on the water following the crash, of which there are, so far, no known survivors.
Relatives were pictured crying at the Pangpal Pinang airport as they awaited news on their loved ones and family members were also pictured arriving at the agency's headquarters in Jakarta.
Feni, who uses a single name, said her soon to be married sister was on the flight, planning to meet relatives in Pangkal Pinang.
'We are here to find any information about my younger sister, her fiance, her in-law to be and a friend of them,' said Feni.
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