JAKARTAJAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian airliner crashed into the sea on Monday, with the likely loss of all 189 people on board, as it tried to return to Jakarta minutes after take-off.

Lion Air flight JT610, an almost new Boeing 737 MAX 8, was en route from the capital to Pangkal Pinang, center of the Bangka-Belitung tin mining region. Rescue officials said they had recovered human remains from the crash site, about 15 km (nine miles) off the coast.

Indonesia is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets, but its safety record is patchy. If all aboard have died, the crash will be its second-worst air disaster since 1997, industry experts said.

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(Graphic: Indonesian plane crash - tmsnrt.rs/2OZPYBz)

The pilot had asked to return to base (RTB) shortly after take-off. It lost contact with ground staff after 13 minutes.

"An RTB was requested and had been approved but we're still trying to figure out the reason," Soerjanto Tjahjono, head of Indonesia's transport safety committee, told reporters, referring to the pilot's request.

"We hope the black box is not far from the main wreckage so it can be found soon," he said, referring to the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.

Search and rescue agency head Muhmmad Syaugi told a news conference that no distress signal had been received from the aircraft's emergency transmitter.

Yusuf Latief, spokesman of national search and rescue agency, said there were likely no survivors.

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At least 23 government officials, four employees of state tin miner PT Timah and three employees of a Timah subsidiary, were on the plane. A Lion Air official said one Italian passenger and an Indian pilot were on board.

Speaking at a hospital, a tearful Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati paid tribute to the 21 officials from her ministry on the doomed flight who she said "died doing their duty".

Edward Sirait, chief executive of Lion Air Group, told reporters the aircraft had had a technical problem on a flight from the resort island of Bali to Jakarta but it had been "resolved according to procedure".

Sirait declined to specify the nature of the issue but said none of its other aircraft of that model had the same problem. Lion had operated 11 Boeing 737 MAX 8s and it had no plan to ground the rest of them, he said.

The accident is the first to be reported involving the widely sold Boeing 737 MAX, an updated, more fuel-efficient version of the manufacturer's workhorse single-aisle jet.

Privately owned Lion Air said the aircraft had been in operation since August, was airworthy, with its pilot and co-pilot together having accumulated 11,000 hours of flying time.

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PERSONAL BELONGINGS

On tarpaulins at Jakarta's port, officers laid out items retrieved from the sea ranging from oxygen bottles to personal belongings such as wallets, a mobile phone, cash and backpacks.

Authorities told Metro TV that 24 bags containing body parts had been taken to a hospital for identification, with more expected overnight.

A witness in the Karawang district nearest to the crash site said he heard an explosion from the beach.

"I thought it was thunder, but it was different from thunder - 'boom' it was loud," said Dadang Hambali.

An Indonesian rescue team member carries an airplane oxygen tube recovered after Lion Air flight JT610 crashed into the sea, at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Willy Kurniawan Wreckage recovered from Lion Air flight JT610 which crashed into the sea is seen at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Willy Kurniawan Rescue team members arrange the wreckage, showing part of the logo of Lion Air flight JT610, that crashed into the sea, at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reuters/Stringer Relatives of passengers on Lion Air flight JT610, that crashed into the sea, cry as they wait at Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Dhemas Reviyanto via Reuters Rescue team members carry a body bag with the remains of a passenger of Lion Air, flight JT610, that crashed into the sea, at the Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reuters/Stringer Rescue team members arrange the wreckage, showing part of the logo of Lion Air flight JT610, that crashed into the sea, at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta, Indonesia. Reuters/Stringer Relatives of passengers of Lion Air, flight JT610, that crashed into the sea cry at Depati Amir Airport in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Hadi Sutrisno via Reuters Gulshan Suneja, father of Bhavye Suneja, a pilot of Lion Air flight JT610 which crashed into the sea, is consoled before he leaves for Jakarta, in New Delhi, India, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Anushree Fadnavis Sangeeta Suneja, mother of Bhavye Suneja, a pilot of Lion Air flight JT610 which crashed into the sea, reacts as she leaves for Jakarta, in New Delhi, India, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Anushree Fadnavis Rescue workers stand next to body bags at the port of Tanjung Priok, that are believed to be from Lion Air flight JT610, that took off from Jakarta and crashed into the sea, in Jakarta, Indonesia October 29, 2018 in this image obtained from social media. Basarnas/via Reuters Rescue workers stand next to body bags at the port of Tanjung Priok, that are believed to be from Lion Air flight JT610, that took off from Jakarta and crashed into the sea, in Jakarta, Indonesia October 29, 2018 in this image obtained from social media. Basarnas/via Reuters Chief Executive of Lion Air Group, Edward Sirait, talks to the media after a news conference, following the crash of Lion Air's plane, flight JT610, at the company's operation center near Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Willy Kurniawan An aerial view shows the site where it is believed the Lion Air flight JT610 crashed, that took off from Jakarta and crashed into the sea, Indonesia October 29, 2018 in this still image taken from a video. Indonesian Air Force/Handout via Reuters People watch rescue team members on a boat before they head to the Lion Air, flight JT610, sea crash location in the north coast of Karawang regency, West Java province, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Beawiharta Relatives of passengers of the Lion Air plane that crashed into the sea are seen at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang, Belitung island, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Hadi Sutrisno via Reuters A rescue personnel prepares a ROV before starting to find the location of the Lion Air plane crash in the sea in Karawang regency, West Java province Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Handout/Basarnas via Reuters Relatives of passengers of Lion Air flight JT610 that crashed into the sea, arrive at crisis center at Soekarno Hatta International airport near Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Willy Kurniawan Rescue workers are seen at the site where it is believed the Lion Air flight JT610 crashed, that took off from Jakarta and crashed into the sea, Indonesia October 29, 2018 in this image obtained from social media. Basarnas/via Reuters Workers of PT Pertamina examine recovered debris of what is believed from the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, onboard Prabu ship owned by PT Pertamina, off the shore of Karawang regency, West Java province, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/PT Pertamina/Handout via Reuters Recovered debris are seen of what is believed from the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, that took off from Jakarta and crashed into the ocean, Indonesia October 29, 2018 in this image obtained from social media. Basarnas/via Reuters Workers of PT Pertamina examine recovered debris from what is believed to be the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, onboard Prabu ship owned by PT Pertamina off the shore of Karawang regency, West Java province, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/PT Pertamina/Handout via Reuters Workers of PT Pertamina stand onboard Prabu ship owned by PT Pertamina as they watch what is believed to be debris from the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, off the shore of Karawang regency, West Java province, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/PT Pertamina/Handout via Reuters Workers of PT Pertamina examine recovered debris of what is believed to be from the crashed Lion Air flight JT610, onboard Prabu ship owned by PT Pertamina, off the shore of Karawang regency, West Java province, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/PT Pertamina/Handout via Reuters Passengers wait for their flight in front of a Lion Air office at Soekarno Hatta International airport near Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Willy Kurniawan Relatives of passengers of Lion Air flight JT610 that crashed into the sea, cry at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Elza Elvia via Reuters A policeman helps a woman who is a relative of a passenger of Lion Air flight JT610 that crashed into the sea, as she arrives at a crisis center at Soekarno Hatta International airport near Jakarta, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Reuters/Willy Kurniawan Lion Air official check the passenger list of Lion Air flight JT610 that crashed into the sea, at Depati Amir airport in Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia, October 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Elza Elvia via Reuters

The plane went down in waters about 30 meters to 35 meters (98 to 115 ft) deep.

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Bambang Suryo, operational director of the search and rescue agency, said divers had stopped the search for the night, but sonar vessels would continue hunting for the fuselage, where many of the victims were believed to be trapped.

An underwater drone is also trying to find the wreckage, he said.

The flight took off in clear weather at around 6.20 a.m. and was due to have landed in Pangkal Pinang at 7.20 a.m.

Distraught relatives of those on board arrived at the airport in Jakarta and Pangkal Pinang.

"Be patient, pray the best for papa," one woman arriving at Jakarta airport told a sobbing girl. The woman declined to speak to reporters.

Boeing said it was deeply saddened by the loss and was ready to provide technical assistance for the investigation.

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Under international rules, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will automatically assist with the inquiry, backed up by technical advisers from Boeing and U.S.-French engine maker CFM International, co-owned by General Electric and Safran.

Data from FlightRadar24 shows the first sign of something amiss came around two minutes into the flight, when the plane had reached 2,000 feet (610 m).

It descended more than 500 feet (152 m) and veered to the left before climbing again to 5,000 feet (1,524 m), where it stayed during most of the rest of the flight.

It began gaining speed in the final moments and reached 345 knots (397 mph) before data was lost when it was at 3,650 feet (1,113 m).

The plane was leased from CMIG Aviation Capital, an arm of China Minsheng Investment Group, according to the Flightglobal Ascend database.

Indonesia's worst air disaster was in 1997, when a Garuda Indonesia A300 crashed in the city of Medan, killing 234 people.

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Founded in 1999, Lion Air's only fatal accident was in 2004, when an MD-82 crashed upon landing at Solo City, killing 25 of the 163 on board, the Flight Safety Foundation's Aviation Safety Network says.

In April, the airline announced a firm order to buy 50 Boeing 737 MAX 10 narrowbody jets with a list price of $6.24 billion. It is one of the U.S. planemaker's largest customers globally.