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Contact lost with Indonesian jet Indonesia hunts for missing plane
(about 2 hours later)
Contact has been lost with a passenger plane flying between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sulawesi, aviation officials have said. Indonesia's navy says it has found two possible locations for a passenger aircraft which is believed to have crashed near the island of Sulawesi.
Contact was lost with the Adam Air plane midway through its flight from Java to Sulawesi's north-eastern tip.
The Boeing 737-400 has 96 passengers and six crew on board.The Boeing 737-400 has 96 passengers and six crew on board.
The Adam Air plane reportedly left Surabaya in Java at 1300 local time (0600 GMT) on a two-hour flight to Manado in northern Sulawesi. The naval commander heading the rescue told the BBC distress signals were sent from both a forest on Sulawesi and a point offshore in the Makassar Strait.
Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said it had sent out a distress signal and rescue teams had been sent to find it. Weather halts search
It was believed to be near Mamuju, in southern Sulawesi, 750km (466 miles) south-west of its destination, but may have come down in the sea. The aircraft reportedly left Surabaya in Java at 1300 local time (0600 GMT) on a two-hour flight to Manado in northern Sulawesi.
Severe storms It was not clear why contact was lost, and there was no information as yet on the condition of the plane or its passengers, Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said.
It was not clear why contact was lost, and there was no information as yet on the condition of the plane or its passengers, Mr Radjasa said. Military aeroplanes and government helicopters are being marshalled to assist with the rescue operation.
Contact was lost at 35,000ft, when the plane was an hour away from its destination, a ministry official added. But the BBC's Lucy Williamson, in Jakarta, says the search has been suspended until early in the morning because of bad weather.
An air traffic controller told local TV the aircraft had hit "very bad" weather and would have run out of fuel if it had not already landed.
The area has been subjected to high winds and severe storms in the last few days. About 400 people are still missing after a passenger ship sank off Java on Saturday morning.The area has been subjected to high winds and severe storms in the last few days. About 400 people are still missing after a passenger ship sank off Java on Saturday morning.
The BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says Indonesia has a chequered flight safety record including several major crashes. Officials said contact was lost at 35,000ft, when the plane was an hour away from its destination.
Last year near 150 people were killed when a plane crashed into a busy road shortly after taking off from Medan on the island of Sumatra. Our correspondent says Indonesia has a chequered flight safety record including several major crashes.
Last year almost 150 people were killed when a plane crashed into a busy road shortly after taking off from Medan on the island of Sumatra.
In Manado, capital of North Sulawesi province, hundreds of people gathered at the airport seeking information about their missing relatives.
Justin Tumurang, 25, was waiting at the airport to pick up her twin sister, but she never arrived.
"Being a twin, we share almost every feeling. I felt something was not right, and it grew worse. Now I feel pain," news agency AP quoted her as saying.
Adam Air, a privately owned low-cost airline based in Jakarta, began operations in 2003.Adam Air, a privately owned low-cost airline based in Jakarta, began operations in 2003.