Officials say missing Indonesian plane 'likely crashed'

The Indonesian Ministry of Transport announced Saturday that the Boeing 737 that lost contact with authorities shortly after takeoff from Indonesian capital of Jakarta 'likely crashed.'

Two ships have been sent to where the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency said it found pieces of debris near the plane's flight path in the Java Sea. Local media previously reported findings in the same area.

The Sriwijaya Air plane, carrying 62 passengers, was en route to Pontianak, the provincial capital of West Kalimantan. According to flight tracker website FlightRadar24, the plane lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than a minute. 

Both Indonesia and Boeing have come under fire in recent years for safety violations and concerns. In the last six years, Indonesia has seen two major crashes, both of which killed all passengers and crew on board. The last crash in 2018 also involved a Boeing 737 Max.

Friday, Boeing settled a lengthy investigation with the US Justice Department over its two previous deadly crashes with the 737 in Indonesia and Ethiopia. The company agreed to pay $2.5 billion in damages and admitted to misleading regulators about the safety of the aircraft.

The entire Boeing 737 Max fleet had been grounded for nearly two years and only reentered US airspace Tuesday.