Lion Air Plane Crashes Shortly After Leaving Jakarta, Indonesia

Updated:
JAKARTA, Indonesia—Indonesia’s Lion Air said it had lost contact with air traffic controllers after taking off from Jakarta, The Straits Times reported.

A search and rescue effort has been launched for the Boeing 737-800 plane which departed Jakarta about 6.20 a.m. local time on Oct. 29.

“It has been confirmed that it has crashed,” said Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for Indonesia’s search and rescue agency.

The number of passengers and crew is unknown.

This is a developing story.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.