MANILA -- The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on Monday offered its sympathies and prayers to Indonesia after a Lion Air 737 aircraft with 189 passengers and crew members on board crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Jakarta.
In a statement, the agency reported that no Filipino was on board the ill-fated aircraft that was bound for Pangkal Pinang in the Bangka Belitung Islands, 814 kilometers north of the Indonesian capital.
Ambassador to Indonesia Lee Hiong Wee said the Philippine embassy was in touch with the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as soon as the crash was reported.
The envoy was later informed that there was no Filipino on the flight manifest.
According to reports, Lion Air flight JT 610 was carrying 181 passengers, and six crew members, including two pilots. Of the fatalities, one is a child while two others are infants. (PNA)
