JAKARTA

Seeking to identify remains from Saturday’s Indonesian passenger plane crash with 62 people on board, a Jakarta hospital has gotten 21 DNA samples from the victims’ families.

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Indonesian aircraft with 62 on board crashes into sea

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - JANUARY 10: Search and rescue (SAR) officers unloaded fragments of tires, plane fragments, and children's shorts which allegedly belonged to the victim Sriwijaya Air SJ 182 from KRI Kurau at Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) 2, Jakarta on Sunday, January 10, 2021. The fragments were obtained from search for the aircraft in the waters of the Thousand Islands. An Indonesian passenger aircraft with 62 people on board crashed into the sea after taking off from the capital Jakarta, authorities said Saturday. The plane carries 50 passengers on board, including 10 children, plus 12 crew members. ( Nicky Aulia Widadio - Anadolu Agency )

The Kramat Jati Police Hospital will try to match the DNA samples with several bags of human remains retrieved from the Sriwijaya Air flight crash site, said National Police spokesman Rusdi Hartono on Sunday.

"We ask the families of the victims to help the DVI [Disaster Victim Identification] team to carry out their duties," Rusdi told a press conference in the capital Jakarta.

He said the families of the victims could provide data in the form of diploma documents, family cards, or other materials.

Rusdi added that any information would greatly help the DVI team identify the bodies of the crash victims.

According to Rusdi the team includes over 300 police, military, and Health Ministry personnel, plus members of the Indonesian Forensic Expert Association.

The remains were found around the underwater crash site, in the Thousand Islands area between the isles of Lancang and Laki.

The domestic flight departed from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport bound for the city of Pontianak in West Borneo when it lost contact within minutes after taking off. It carried 50 passengers, including 10 children, plus 12 crew members.