Agus Haryono, another official with the agency, told Reuters that debris suspected to be from the plane had been found in the sea, but it had not been confirmed it came from the missing flight.
Management of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport have opened a crisis centre post for family members of those onboard the lost flight in Tangerang, Indonesia.
Reliable flight tracking service Flightradar24 said on its Twitter feed Flight SJ182 “lost more than 10,000 feet of altitude in less than one minute, about 4 minutes after departure from Jakarta”.
The aircraft is a 27-year-old Boeing 737-500, according to registration details included in the tracking data.
The plane is described as a Boeing 737-500 “classic” with registration number PK-CLC (MSN 27323).