189 persons feared dead following the crash of an Indonesian aircraft.

An Indonesian airline with 189 passengers and crews on board have crashed into the sea Monday morning according to authority.

The Boeing aircraft operated by Lion airline was said to have taken off from from Jakarta to the city of Pangkal Pinang off the island of Sumatra and crashed into the sea minutes after take off.

The aircraft was said to have lost contact with the control towers 13 minutes after take off. Meanwhile, some debris and other personal belongings have been found washed of the sea.

Over 300 persons are said to be involved in search operations