An Indonesian man who was supposed to board the ill-fated Lion Air plane that plunged into the sea with 189 people on board missed his flight because he was stuck in Jakarta's notorious traffic.

Key points: Sony Setiawan should have been on the plane, which he took every Monday

Sony Setiawan should have been on the plane, which he took every Monday The national search and rescue agency says it is unlikely there are any survivors

The national search and rescue agency says it is unlikely there are any survivors Authorities urge Indonesians to stop spreading hoax pictures and videos

Sony Setiawan, an official in Indonesia's finance ministry, was planning to catch Flight JT610 from the capital to Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang — an hour-long trip he and his colleagues made on a weekly basis.

However on Monday he was held up on a toll road for hours and arrived at Soekarno-Hatta airport at 6:20am (local time) — just as the doomed aircraft took off.

The flight lost contact with air traffic control 13 minutes into the trip, with witnesses reporting seeing it nosedive into the Java Sea.

"Every week I go to Bandung [West Java] to visit my family there, and every Monday I take that early flight JT610 from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang with my colleagues," Mr Setiawan told local media.

"I don't know why, but this time, there was massive traffic on the toll road to the airport.

"Normally, I arrive at Jakarta [airport] at around 3:00am, but this morning I arrived at 6:20am."

At least 23 Government officials, including 21 finance ministry staff, four employees of state tin miner PT Timah and three employees of a Timah subsidiary were on the plane.

National search and rescue agency spokesman Yusuf Latief said it was likely there were no survivors from the accident.

Workers from Indonesia's Search and Rescue Agency inspect debris from the plane. ( AP: Tatan Syuflana, File )

While the congestion inadvertently saved Mr Setiawan's life, he was filled with emotion as he reflected on the fate of his colleagues and friends.

"When I heard the news, I was weak and burst into tears, because all my friends were on board, six people in total," he said.

"My family called me straight away and cried on the phone after they found out what happened."

'No one can replace you … I believe you will come back'

Muhammad Husni Fadhil makes a post on Instagram, praying for his partner to have survived the accident. ( Instagram )

Devastated family members and partners of those on board the downed plane have taken to social media to pay tribute to their loved ones.

Muhammad Husni Fadhil, the boyfriend of one of the flight attendants, Mery Yulianda, posted a screenshot of their last conversation on Insta story.

"I've just done my briefing [for the flight]," Ms Yulianda wrote in a message timestamped 4:49am.

Mr Fadhil replied with: "Yes, babe, I'm going to sleep."

Waking up to news of the accident, Mr Fadhil urgently sent Ms Yulianda another text timestamped 9:10am: "Babe, where are you?? Babe, are you okay? I don't want something to happen to you."

But his message was left unanswered.

As body parts and debris are being found around the crash site, Mr Fadhil continues to be in denial about his partner's fate.

"My dear, this morning we still spoke on the phone and sent voice messages on Whatsapp after I sent you off to the airport," Mr Fadhil wrote.

"I believe you will come back, Allah [God] will protect you my dear."

"In April 2019, we are getting engaged … no one can replace you, my dear, [no matter] what happened to you, I will accept you for who you are."

Indonesians urged to stop spreading fake news and hoaxes

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Questionable videos and photos that claim to show the last moments onboard Flight JT610 are also emerging from the flood of information and photos of the accident.

Several photos showing passengers wearing oxygen masks and a shaky video capturing moments of turbulence on a plane are being widely circulated by Indonesians, particularly on Whatsapp.

Indonesia's officials said the photos were taken from Sriwijaya Air several years ago, while the 44-second video showing a dark and panicked cabin was captured on another Lion Air flight from Jakarta to Padang.

The Ministry of Communication and Information issued a warning about the hoaxes and fake news.

"If you receive information or photos/videos about the victims of Lion Air which can't be verified, don't forward it," a statement said.

"Just pray for them and wish for the best for the victims and their families."