Navy's frogmen prepared to dive to find crashed aircraft

Lion Air crashes into the Tanjung Karawang waters just 13 minutes after takeoff.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Navy's elite team the Frogmen Command (Kopaska) has been readied to dive into the waters of Karawang in West Java to find the wreckage of a Lion Air plane that crashed here, Monday.

"Two Sea Riders of the Kopaska team have arrived and are ready to help Basarnas (the National Search and Rescue Agency) to dive," a spokesman of the Indonesian Navy Col. (P) M. Zaenal noted in a statement here on Monday.

The Navy has deployed some warships to facilitate the evacuation of victims and aircraft wreckage.

"KRI Sikuda-863, KRI tenggiri-865, and Kal Kobra-867 are already at the location where the debris of the plane was found," Zaenal noted.

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* Lion Air crashes in Tj Karawang waters, 188 on board

The Indonesian Navy has also deployed KRI Rigel-933 warship, with the capability to detect objects under the sea, 10 survey teams of the Navy's Hydrography and Oceanography Center (Pushidrosal), KAL Sanca-815, five units of Sea Rider, diving team, Jalamangkara Dettachment (Denjaka), 40 personnel of the Amphibious Reconnaissance battalion (Taifib) from first Fleet Command, Naval Base III and Marine Forces II in Jakarta.

The warships will help the search and rescue operation at the location of the crash.

The aircraft, carrying 188 people on board, crashed 13 minutes after taking off at 6:20 a.m. local time from Jakarta and was scheduled to arrive in Pangkalpinang in Bangka Belitung Province at 7:05 a.m. local time.

Meanwhile, Head of Karawang District Cellica Nurrachadiana noted in Karawang that dozens of local fishermen had helped in the operation to search for the ill-fated aircraft. "Around the northern coast of Karawang in the Pakisjaya area, we have some 100 fishermen. We have urged them to help in the search process," she added.

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