Vietnam condoles Indonesia plane crash tragedy

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh Sunday sent condolences to Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi after the crash of a Boeing 737-500 aircraft of the Indonesian airline Sriwijaya Air on Saturday.

The aircraft, which was carrying 50 passengers and 12 crew members, all Indonesian, plunged into the ocean four minutes after leaving Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Indonesian authorities have found wreckage and human remains at the crash site. They do not expect to find survivors.

The Boeing 737-500 is an aircraft that is being phased out by airlines to switch to other models with less fuel consumption. Authorities said the one involved in the crash had been operating for 26 years, but was still in good condition.

Sriwijaya Air is a Jakarta-based budget airline established in 2003 with most of its routes in Southeast Asia. Its fleet includes around 19 Boeing aircraft.