Delhi boy Bhavye Suneja was captain of crashed Indonesian plane Lion Air

A Delhi man Bhavye Suneja was the captain of the Indonesian plane that crashed soon after taking off from Jakarta on Monday, October 29. The aircraft was commanded by Captain Suneja and co-pilot Harvino with six cabin crew members. The 31-year-old captain had 6,000 flight hours and the co-pilot more than 5,000 flight hours, the statement said.

According to media reports, Suneja was a resident of Mayur Vihar and studied at the Ahlcon Public School in the locality. He joined the low-cost carrier Lion Air in March 2011, said a news report.

Lion Air said the brand-new aircraft, on a 70-minute flight to Pangkal Pinang on an island chain off Sumatra, was carrying 178 adults, 1 child and 2 infant, including 3 crew under training and one technician, the airline said in a statement.

Indonesian TV broadcast pictures of a fuel slick and debris field. Distraught friends and relatives prayed and hugged each other as they waited at Pangkal Pinang’s airport.

The National Search and Rescue Agency’s deputy chief, Nugroho Budi Wiryanto, said at least 300 persons including soldiers, police and local fishermen were involved in the search. However, no bodies have been recovered so far, only ID cards, personal belongings and aircraft debris.

At the agency’s headquarters in Jakarta, family members turned up, hoping desperately for news.

The head of Indonesia’s transport safety committee said he could not confirm the cause of the crash, which would have to wait until the recovery of the plane’s black boxes.